


One Sentence

by PagetPaulson



Category: Criminal Minds, Orange is the New Black
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-23
Updated: 2015-11-09
Packaged: 2018-04-05 18:08:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 23,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4189806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PagetPaulson/pseuds/PagetPaulson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The ambassador's daughter on the other side of the prison wall.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Stumbling forward from the push the warden gave to her back, Emily glared up to the building before her. She had been dreading this experience the entire ride from the court house to here, and now that she stood out in the cold, her dark eyes looking up to the stone building, she felt a cold feeling deep in her chest.

Litchfield County Correctional.

"Let's go," the chipper brunette before her smiled, backing up toward the door with her magazines in hand. "Now I promise, it's not as bad as you think. We've got some good girls in here, you'll see."

Emily refused to move.

Her entire life had been about rising to the top, which was difficult already having an acquired status by her family, and now she was here; prison.

The ambassador's daughter, one of the most renowned and decorated officers of the United States FBI, was shipped off to prison for a double homicide.

Biting back the retort to the guard whose eyes were looking them up and down, Emily dragged her feet along the graveled ground. She couldn't stay outside forever, no matter how much she wanted to. She had been sent to New York because there was no room in any women's facility in Virginia, and it was cold out.

"Now you won't be assigned a bunk for a few days, so you're going to be sharing a room with a few others," the small woman smiled, leading the newbies down the halls of the prison. "You're all gonna get along soon enough, I promise."

Dark eyes focusing on the doors she was passing, Emily missed the older woman who practically jumped away from her spot on the wall to throw her arm around her shoulders.

"Princess," she husked, grinning at the woman with wide eyes. "What's your name?"

Emily clenched her teeth and ignored the older woman.

Frowning, Boo leaned in closer to the privileged woman. "Come on princess, you know you want to tell me your name."

"Big Boo," Morello chastised, shaking her head and gesturing for the older woman to get off the new woman. "Come on, let her alone. We gotta get them all in before lunch, and I know you don't want to miss that."

Emily tilted her head to the side when the bigger woman tried to rub her nose against the skin of her cheek, and carefully she watched her move away and back toward the spot on the wall where she was resting before they came in.

"She's harmless, Prentiss. I promise you."

Following the younger woman into a room, Emily looked around to see four other women bustling around the room. "Is this mine?"

Morello nodded her head, watching as the FBI agent place the bag full of her other uniforms and her pillow on the bottom bunk that was empty. "You guys are gonna be here until you're assigned bunks, and that can take up to a few weeks. Bunks aren't always available."

Emily slowly sat herself down on the thin mattress, hearing the other new girl in her room throw her bag on the bed above her. She ran her hands down her covered legs and tried to stop the lump in her throat. She shouldn't be there.

"Prentiss?"

The brown eyed woman glanced up and shook her head. "Sorry, what?"

Morello gestured to the others in the room. "Introduce yourselves, ok? Lunch is gonna be called in about fifteen minutes."

Emily took the toothbrush and soap the younger woman handed her and thanked her with a small nod of the head.

"So, name?"

Looking up, Emily eyed the other women in the room. "Emily Prentiss," she coughed, clearing her throat when she heard it come out deeper than normal. "From Virginia."

"Nicky," the girl with the lion mane grinned, jumping down from her bunk and making her way over to the new girl's. "No fucking way, you were born in Virginia? Same."

"Oh, no. I was born in Belgium."

Nicky's eyes widened, her silence as well as all the other roommates' speaking volumes. "You shittin' me?"

Emily paused, slowly shaking her head. "No."

"Born in fucking Belgium? You an immigrant?"

"No," the ambassador's daughter sighed, rubbing her hand across her sweating forehead. "I was born at the Belgium embassy. I'm an American citizen."

"Oh," Nicky nodded, grinning as she slapped the beautiful woman on the back. "You're rich!"

Emily shrugged, leaning back in her bed and against the concrete wall. "I guess."

"Well that's Rosa, she has cancer," the friendly inmate introduced, standing from the ambassador's daughter's bed. "That's Chaplain, she just got back from the hospital for a burn from the kitchen, and then that's Miss Claudette." Nicky turned, leaning down as she lowered her voice. "She just got back from the SHU."

Frowning up at the younger woman and looking to her with her tired doe eyes, Emily shook her head. "The what?"

"SHU. The Security Housing Unit."

The cancer patient on the other side of the room looked up from her book and nodded. "Solitary confinement."

Biting her lip, the brunette leaned into Nicky. "What'd she do?" she whispered.

Grinning to the older woman, Nicky nudged her nose against Emily's soft cheek. "You're cute, Princess."

Emily quickly pulled away, standing from her bed and running the palms of her hands over her hair. "Alright, when did she say lunch was? I haven't eaten since yesterday and I'm starting to see spots."

Nicky intertwined their arms and led the beautiful woman out of their room. "Red will give you the first plate if we make it there now," she nodded, smiling to the older woman. "She's nice to newbies."

"Ok. Thanks," the ambassador's daughter said softly, her dark eyes catching each and every object, person and pathway she passed. "Who's Red?"

"The Russian cook who, if you speak badly about, will cut you off so badly that you'll be willing to eat the flip flops you wear to our bathrooms," Nicky grimaced, shaking her head. "Trust me, they'll get nasty within the first minute you're in the shower."

Emily tried her best to hold back her anger. Prison was not somewhere she was meant to be, and every moment of every day she was supposed to be confined to the building, she knew she was going to let her over thinking get the best of her.

"And here we are," the other inmate grinned. "Oh, there's Alex. Yo four eyes!"

The dark haired woman turned, the tattoo on her arm shining in the sun as she saw the new inmate in her orange jumpsuit.

"Fuck," Emily cursed, her wide eyes looking to the familiar woman across the cafeteria. "Fucking Alex Vause."


	2. Chapter 2

Emily kept her head down as the other inmates bustled around the cafeteria. She had almost grown sick at the sight of Alex, and she immediately walked out of the room to find the nearest water fountain to splash her face.

Fuck Alex Vause.

Watching the new inmate poke around at the food on her plate, Nicky slumped her shoulders. "You good, Princess?"

Emily looked up from her plate, finally stabbing a piece of lettuce with her fork before eating it. "I've been here for the total of a half an hour and I've thought about slitting my own throat about three times now. What does that tell you?"

The woman who had approached her when she had entered the prison sat herself down next to her and shrugged her shoulder. "Better than crying your eyes out like most do," she shrugged, digging into her macaroni.

The dark haired woman didn't hide her grimace as she watched the other woman eat her meal.

"You like that, Princess?" Big Boo grinned, taking her napkin and wiping it over her chin before winking to the younger woman. "Imagine what I can do between those pretty legs of yours."

Emily immediately dropped her fork and pushed her tray away.

Morello sat herself down next to the woman with the lion's mane for hair and smiled to the new inmate. "Hey Prentiss, how are you dealing so far?"

"Fine," she nodded, keeping her eyes down on the metal table. "I'm fine, thank you." The younger woman was sweet, and Emily didn't want to be rude to her and lash out with the anger and confusion she was feeling. "So Lorna, what are you in for?"

The entire table went silent, all eyes looking to the dark haired woman in her orange jumpsuit.

Biting her lip, Emily looked to the other woman and slowly shook her head. "What? What did I do?"

Nicky leaned into the table and looked to the older brunette with wide eyes. "You don't ask those things."

"It's alright," the New Yorker smiled, shaking her head to the other inmates. "She doesn't know, it's not the worst thing to ask." Looking to the woman with ivory skin, Morello tilted her head to the side. "I had a little mailing fraud, or something," she shrugged. "That's what the police said. All I really did though was tell the companies that I didn't get my products when I did, and then they sent me free ones."

Emily rolled her lips inward. Obviously the younger woman didn't quite understand what she had done.

"What about you, Prentiss?"

The ambassador's daughter reached for her water, taking a big sip as she heard an argument at a table not too far behind her. "Murder," she stated quietly.

Big Boo looked to the others at the table, astonishment washing over everyone who was listening to the newbie. "Murder?" the older woman questioned, leaning into the brown eyed woman so she could try and see her face. "You?"

"Double homicide," the brunette clarified. She set her chin on top of her clasped hands and watched the reactions of the women around her, eyes wide and jaws ready to drop as they assessed her and her stature. They thought she wasn't the type, and she almost laughed.

They didn't know her at all.

Sharking her head, the newest inmate at the table ran her hands down her face. "It's a misunderstanding," Emily shrugged.

Nicky frowned. "Killing two people isn't what you did?"

"No, I did. But it was in self defense."

Walking past the table full of her favorite inmates, Alex fixed her glasses on the bridge of her nose. "Room for one more?"

Emily clenched her teeth, feeling Nicky's eyes on her as Morello scooted over just enough to let the woman with jet black hair sit at their table. "Lorna," the ebony haired vixen smiled, keeping her eyes off of the woman who she refused to associate herself with. "Can you show me the nearest bathroom?"

"Well we have assigned ones," the younger woman quickly nodded, getting herself up off of the bench. "There's the one for the Hispanics, one for the Blacks and then one for us."

The ambassador's daughter frowned, letting the woman with curls in her hair link their arms. "We're separated?"

"Oh trust me, it's best for everyone. Let me show you."

Alex watched as the older woman was escorted away from the table, a smirk crossing over her features as she watched her ass sway. She wasn't surprised that it still showed in her jumpsuit.

"Yo four eyes, you done eye fucking the new girl?" Nicky coughed, looking back to the two leaving the cafeteria. "What's with you two?"

"Nothing."

Nicky's eyes narrowed on the older woman. "You two know each other?"

Looking up from her plate, Alex bit the stem of her broccoli with a smile. "Maybe I'll tell you later," she smirked.


	3. Chapter 3

"Now would you want a top bunk or a bottom bunk?"

Emily rolled her eyes at the other inmate, feeling her roll around on the mattress above hers. "I don't know."

Rosa shook her head at the newest inmates. "It's not like that," she groaned, rolling herself onto her side as she continued to shuffle through her deck of cards. "You've got two beds, one on either side of your bunk. The bunk is very small; two walls of concrete blocking you off from the other bunks."

The ambassador's daughter ran her hands over her face. "Fun."

"Stop being all gloomy and shit," Nicky laughed. She jumped from her bunk and squatted down beside her new friend's bunk. "You wanna go and fuck in the wood shed? I know where you can go without being in view of a camera."

Emily looked to the younger woman with a frown on her face, her stomach rumbling because of the meal she had refused to eat. "No thank you."

The dry tone made the woman with dirty blond hair shake her head. "You're missing a good time."

"I'll get over it."

"Alright," she scoffed, standing and throwing her hands into the air. "Just trying to be nice."

Emily let out a huff before standing from her bunk, slowly stretching her arms above her head. "I'm sorry, ok? I'm adjusting."

"It's been a day, Princess. You're not going to get over this shit that quickly."

The brunette shook her head, her mind racing as she thought back to those she had left in Virginia.

Nicky watched as the expression on the new inmate's face changed, and she cautiously took a step forward. "Hey," she nodded, nudging her elbow with her fist. "Hey, you ok?"

Emily quickly nodded. "Yeah," she whispered, running her fingers over the creases in her forehead. "I'm good."

"You want a snack? Your money won't be in just yet, and I wanna try to help you."

Emily let herself give the younger woman a smile. "Yeah, thank you." She followed the younger woman down to the commissary, watching as girls stood in line and waited from the end of one hall to the beginning of another. "So you can get anything here?"

Nicky led the dark haired woman down the hall and got on the end of the line, smacking her hand against the younger woman's ass in front of her. "Anything you need. Tampons, makeup, towels, snacks. It's pretty easy to get anything you want around here."

The ambassador's daughter glanced around. Girls were wearing earrings, popping candy into their mouths and she knew Morello wore that dark red lipstick. What she didn't understand was why nothing was prohibited.

"What do you need, Prentiss?"

Emily looked up, her eyes widening when she realized they were already nearing the front of the line. "Oh uh, what do they have?"

"You want salty or sweet?" the blond shrugged.

Licking the corner of her mouth, Emily hesitated, coming around the bend and looking into the gated off window.

"If I remember correctly," came a familiar voice, "Emily's got a big sweet tooth."

The dark haired woman looked up, her gaze narrowing on the woman behind the grate. Those glasses that had always pissed her off were tight against her face, and the older woman did her best to not bite as hard into her lip as she wanted to.

She couldn't have the other inmates mopping her blood off of the floor.

"You know," Emily stated slowly, her hands curling around her favorite candy bar that Alex and pushed underneath the grate, "I used to love sweet things. But when I tried to have what my sweet tooth was begging for, all I got was something stale."

Nicky watched as the older woman smiled her thanks before walking back to their bunk. "Damn, Vause."

Alex tried to smirk and shook her head. "You don't need to know, Nickles," she denied, feeling her chest constrict as she thought of the woman who walked away from her.

"I'm gonna find out."

"Yeah and while you're trying, I'll be let out and own a home in Florence. You send me a letter when you're finally finished, alright?"

Nicky licked her lips, grinning to the other woman. "You gonna be living with Princess down by those crystal waters?"

The dark haired woman gave her friend the finger, laughing as she stole a bar of soap from the counter before following the FBI agent down the hallway.

Alex tried her best not to let her eyes follow the pair down the hallway. Emily hadn't said one thing to her all day, and now the insult she had thrown at her had thrown the younger woman completely off.

Emily was never one for conflict like that.

"You know what your girl is in for?"

Alex immediately went to get the tissues Rosa always asked for, trading them for a ticket. "What do you mean?"

The cancer patient gestured down the barren hall. "Prentiss. She's here on murder charges."

"They don't let murderers in here," the woman in the glasses snorted, giving her friend an extra set of playing cards. "Nice try."

"I'm serious," she husked. "Ask her yourself."

Alex frowned, thinking back to the look she had seen on the older woman's face when she first spotted her in the cafeteria. "No shit."

Rosa watched her run from the commissary, and the balding woman raised her hands. "Where are you going?"

"Watch it for me!"

The cancer patient glared at the younger woman. "Alex!" she groaned.

"Just watch it!" she shouted, slowing her pace just slightly when she saw a guard pop out from behind a door. Rounding the corner, the inmate who had been in there for close to a year grabbed Emily by her hand and tugged her out into the hall.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" the agent growled, yanking her arm from the younger woman's grip. "Get away from me."

"You're here for murder?"

Emily gulped, but her angry stare never faltered. "I said to get away from me."

The younger woman looked to the new inmate with wide eyes, her head shaking as Emily put up her classic stone cold façade. "Are you fucking kidding me? Murder? What the hell happened to you?"

Stepping closer, Emily pointed an accusing finger at the younger woman. "You're what happened to me," her venomous words hissed. "You're the one who fucked me over and you're the reason for all the shit that's gone on in my life. Alright? That make you feel better now?"

"Emily, I ju-"

"Fuck you," Emily stated coldly, standing up straight and looking the younger woman up and down. "Never talk to me again. I know you're going to be in here for a little while longer, but I've got years to go, ok? Stay out of my way."


	4. Chapter 4

Folding her twentieth uniform for that morning, Alex shook her head, pushing her glasses up her nose when they began to slip. She couldn't handle the fact that a woman she had known so intimately and for the longest time had committed an act that was nothing that she would ever do.

It had to be self defense.

There was no other explanation for the woman she had known for over two decades murdered two people.

Alex let out a breath and ignored the new girls coming into the laundry room. She was surprised that there had been nothing in the papers about one of the world's richest women; a girl who had been brought up in the limelight her entire life and there wasn't a single word about her in any paper across the country?

Maybe her parents wanted it that way.

Rolling her eyes, the inmate began folding a new orange jumpsuit, her hands smacking against the metal table when she felt her anger build. Emily's parents had never given her the time of day, nor did they try and care for her throughout her childhood. The reason why the dark haired beauty was so stern and cold and did her best to keep away from others was all because of her family life, and Alex had always done her best to break her out of her shell.

It had taken a full two years to get the older woman to open up to her, and now they were stuck in this purgatory.

"Hey Alex."

The dark eyed woman looked up and nodded gently to her friend. "What's up, Morello?"

Setting her bag full of laundry on the table, Morello did her best to smile at her friend. "So you and Emily have been here together for two days now."

Alex slowly nodded her head. "Yup."

"You know, her first night here she didn't sleep at all?" the younger woman asked. "Nicky told me everything."

Alex's ears perked up as she loaded up a new clean bag.

Morello nodded her head when she saw the older woman begin to listen. "She stared at the ceiling all night. Nicky only knew because she got up a couple times to go to the bathroom and stuff, you know? Nicky always has to go to the bathroom at weird times. You know, one time she had to stop having sex with me to go to the bathroom? How weird is that?"

Shaking her head, Alex finally looked up to the curly haired woman before her. "Well how was she last night?"

"I think she got some sleep," the younger woman nodded. "But I don't really know, you know? I'm not in her room."

Alex gave her friend a small smile before handing her back her laundry ticket. "Thanks, Morello," she whispered. Leaning over the metal table, the tattooed woman made sure no one was listening before speaking into her friend's ear. "Do you mind keeping an eye on her?"

Morello slowly nodded her head.

"I doubt she's coping well," she sighed, her hands reaching for another uniform shirt that she could fold. "Emily isn't the type of person who gets over things easily. She likes to bottle her shit up and this definitely isn't the place to do that."

The red lipped inmate heard others walking in as she slowly backed away from the table. "She's in for murder, honey. I'm sure she can handle herself."

Alex rolled her eyes. She was so sick of hearing what the damn woman was in for. She got it, she understood. People needed to learn to censor themselves when they were about to say stupid and repetitive shit. "I know, I get it. Just please?"

"Of course," the New Yorker smiled. "I got you."

Making her way down the hall, Emily flung her new friend's laundry bag over her shoulder to make it easier to carry. The blond girl had stepped in mud and geese poop outside while making her way from the electrical shed, and because the younger woman was so sweet and did her best to make her feel at home, she had offered to take her dirty laundry down for her.

"Oh Prentiss!"

Emily looked up from the ground, her eyes had been catching every movement her feet made and every crack in the floor she stepped on, and smiled tiredly to the beautiful woman before her. "Hi Lorna," she almost whispered. "How are you?"

The younger woman frowned. "Are you ok?"

"I'm just tired," the agent nodded, fixing the bag on her shoulder. "I slept for about five minutes last night, which is definitely better than Saturday night. I'm just not in the best mood, you know?"

Morello slowly nodded her head, walking by the older woman's side back down to the laundry room. "I get it. I mean, I was in a really bad depression when I first got here. But look at me now!" she laughed. "I've only got fourteen months left here, and then two years probation. I'm feeling pretty good now."

Emily gave the younger woman a grin. "Congratulations, Lorna."

Stepping in front of the newest inmate, Morello stopped her from entering the laundry room. "I don't think you want to go in there."

"Why not?"

The New Yorker gave a confused shrug of the shoulders. "I don't know."

Emily tried to hide her smile as she shifted her weight from foot to foot. "So why can't I go in?" she questioned.

"Ok," Morello whispered, her wide eyes staring up to the older woman. "Alex is in there on laundry duty. I didn't think you'd want to see her."

The FBI agent let Lorna take the bag of dirty laundry for her, and she felt a warmth take over the coldness she felt in her chest. "Thank you." She was nowhere near ready to look at the woman she had known for years, let alone have a conversation with her. "Thank you, Lorna."

Morello smiled with her dark lips. "Of course. And listen, you might want to get down to the common room about now, ok? They give out job assignments to newbies before lunch on Mondays, and you want to get there now if you want a good one."

"Thank you so much."

The younger woman watched Emily walk away before going back into the laundry room, smiling to her friend behind the table as she set the bag down. "Here you go. Nicky wanted me to drop her stuff off," she snorted. "Too lazy today, I guess."

Alex smirked. "I heard you two outside."

Morello's smile fell. "Oh."

"Relax," the drug dealer laughed. "I get it, she doesn't want to talk to me. I'm not going to make her, you know? I don't want her to feel like she has to do anything."

Vigorously nodding her head, the New Yorker did her best to smile to her friend. "You two are gonna talk, you are. You're both gonna talk and you're gonna get over whatever this is, ok?"

Alex looked up and let herself smile to the woman she had been friends with for now three years. "Thanks Morello."

She bumped her fist against the drug dealer's and grinned. "Anytime, four eyes."

"Stop listening to Nichols!" Alex yelled, throwing a towel at the younger woman to chase her out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

"No sir, I don't think I am."

The correctional officer nodded shortly, taking his pen and clicking it on before scribbling down a few notes in his notebook. "I just need to ask to make sure everyone is cooperating and doing everything they're supposed to do. Sometimes the girls don't follow all the rules, you know?"

Emily hid her smirk at the information. It was prison, after all. "I don't feel in danger," the inmate agreed. "I promise to come to you about it if I do."

"I appreciate that," the older man nodded. "What do you have to do today?"

"Well I already finished my work assignment, so nothing really."

Smiling, Samuel Healy leaned his elbows on his desk. "What have you found your work assignment to be?

"Gardening," Emily nodded, smiling smally to the older man. "It's nice, actually. It's a little cold outside but that's not really a problem. And it's better than some of the other jobs, the girls tell me," she laughed. "Nicky is in electrical and Lorna is on cleaning crew."

"And I saw you talking to Vause. She's on laundry, and that's got to get pretty boring."

Emily's smile never faltered. "I bet."

Healy looked to the brunette with hard eyes, picking up his pen once more. "You're very happy today."

"Thank you?" Was that a bad thing?

"Prentiss," he coughed, clearing his throat. "You happen to be in jail for murdering to men, you're now ex-FBI and you're the daughter of two of the most prestigious and famous ambassadors the world knows." Healy leaned forward and shook his head. "You're not happy."

Emily gave a small lick to her bottom lip, and she slowly nodded to the older man. "I agree," the inmate admitted, "but I'm trying to compartmentalize at the moment."

He sat back in his chair and looked to the newest inmate. "You come to me when you need to talk about it, alright?"

"I promise, sir." She quickly got herself up and exited the counselor's office, her jaw dropping as she bumped into another prisoner in the hallway. "Oh God, I'm sorry." Looking up, Emily's lips thinned. "Oh."

Boo grinned. "Don't be so excited to see me."

Emily shook her head. "Sorry, I have to be somewhere."

Walking by the younger woman's side, the heavyset woman flipped her hair behind her eyes. "Darling, you need to learn the ropes here. Everyone knows who had what work assignment at what time, and that means I know you're already done for the day."

"Well that's nice to know."

Boo took the younger woman by the arm and set them both against the wall. "I just want to get to know you, Princess."

Emily grit her teeth. "I'm fine, thank you."

"Come on," she laughed. "I know Nicky is your friend, and she's probably your token lesbian, but that doesn't mean we can't get down to business."

Emily took her arm from the older woman's hold. "I'd prefer to be asked nicely, and not forced into something. Do you understand me?"

Boo slowly nodded her head, running to catch up to the woman in the orange jumpsuit as she tried to walk away. "Alright, so pretty please will you come and fuck me in the laundry room?"

"No."

Stepping around the corner, Alex looked up from her book and watched the new inmate try her best to get away from the woman she knew was trying all she could to get into her pants. Everyone in the prison was trying to get to Emily.

But she could tell by her face that she was uncomfortable.

Alex took a deep breath before closing up her book and making her way over to the pair. "Hey Em," she nodded, trying her best not to show the hurt on her face when the older woman glared at her. "How was work?"

"Come on Vause, I'm trying to make a deal over here."

She saw Emily shrink away from the inmate, and Alex shook her head. "Boo, you know SoSo is looking for you."

Boo's eyes widened. "No fucking way. That girl hasn't looked at me since Easter when I offered my pudding to her."

"I heard her asking people where you are."

"She's worth ten points," she whispered to herself before quickly walking off.

Emily frowned, her dark eyes following the inmate who had been trying to make a move on her. "I'm sorry, points?"

Alex laughed and led the older woman down the hallway. "Yeah, it's some sex game she and Nicky play over the holidays. It's the second year and second Christmas coming up, so they try to get all the newbies that haven't been claimed yet."

"Claimed?" the agent asked in disgust. "So they both asked me to try and get me as a prize?"

"Well they could just want to have sex with you 'cause you're hot," the woman with glasses laughed, seeing the blush flare up in Emily's cheeks. "But you never know. I bet you're worth major points."

Emily gulped, looking up to the younger woman before shaking her head. "Well thanks." Her voice had dropped at least two octaves, the agent trying to let the other inmate know that she was done with the conversation. "I have to go."

Alex's shoulders slumped. "Come on," she whispered harshly, getting Emily to turn around with a hand to her arm so they could talk. "We can't have one normal conversation without you trying to run away from me? It's been years, Emily. Can't we get over it?"

"I don't want to have a normal conversation with you." Her eyes were sad as she shook her head, and her voice dropped to a whisper. "I just want to go and take a nap. Please? Can we not do this now?" She shrunk away from a few inmates passing by and she shrugged. "And not in front of other people?"

Alex bit her lip. "What about at the end of the week? I'll give you time to let everything set in."

Emily gave a humorless smirk as she backed away from the younger woman. "Thought you knew me," she chuckled. "May take up to a year." She saw the woman with pasty white skin looking to her with those sad eyes and she shrugged. "At least I've got the time."


	6. Chapter 6

_"I really love you."_

_Emily smiled against her girlfriend's lips, letting the younger woman kiss her as they moved up the blanket they were laying on. She could feel the cold air starting to seep into her clothing as she rolled onto her side to face the dark eyed brunette, and she leaned in to snuggle into her. "I really love you a lot more than you really love me."_

_The younger woman laughed, pushing against her girlfriend's arm. "Shut the fuck up. You're so corny, I can't deal with you."_

_"Oh you can't deal with me?" the agent laughed, sitting herself up on her elbow and kissing the tattooed woman deeply. "You can't deal with me, baby?"_

_"Well obviously I can. We've been together for five years."_

_Emily chuckled. The pair had known each other for eleven and been together for five, and the brunette pair had finally gone out that day and gotten themselves promise rings. "Well seeing as how that band on your finger promises me that you'll be with me forever," Emily husked, grinning as she brushed her open mouth against the younger woman's, "I think it's safe to say we can handle each other, LexiPoo."_

_Alex immediately rolled her head away from her girlfriend's lips to let out a laugh. "You know I hate that name."_

_"But you love me," the older woman pouted, straddling the woman with jet black hair and flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You love me so you have to let me say it."_

_Alex groaned, her hands going to her girlfriend's hips. "I guess."_

_Emily leaned down and pressed her lips against Alex's. "Say it back."_

_"No."_

_The older woman tickled at her girlfriend's sides, grinning into her black hair when she let out a squeal. "Say it back," she growled._

_Alex fought off the brunette's hands and frantically nodded her head. "Alright!" she laughed, looking up into her girlfriend's eyes and giving her a serious glare. "I love me too."_

_Emily burst into laughter, letting the younger woman catch her falling face in her hands as she fell atop her body. "You're so full of bullshit!" her cry rang as she rolled off of the tattooed woman and fell onto the blanket on her back. Letting the woman with the glasses tilt her chin up, she puckered her lips so Alex could kiss them. "Do you love me?" she whispered._

_"More than anything."_

_Emily's hands slithered up her girlfriend's arms before her fingers tangled in that jet black hair, her body arching into the younger woman's as they kissed._

_Alex Vause sure knew how to make a girl's toes curl._

_"Baby," the FBI agent whispered, letting Alex pepper kisses down her neck. "Babe, your phone."_

_Alex groaned, rolling onto her back and getting the phone from her side._

_Emily let out a breath to calm herself down before sitting up. "Everything ok?"_

_"Yeah," she nodded, glancing over to her girlfriend before typing a text back to the person who had messaged her. "Yeah no, it's fine."_

_Emily frowned. "What's wrong?" Getting on her knees, the brown eyed woman set her hands on Alex's shoulders and peeked over her to see what was on the screen._

_Alex quickly got herself out of her girlfriend's hold and stood, shaking her head after she knew Emily had seen the person she was texting. "Don't," she warned._

_"I thought you were done."_

_Sending the text, Alex looked up and watched as her girlfriend, the woman who had promised that one day she would become her wife, stood and straightened her shoulders. "I know," she nodded, her voice soft. "I know I said that."_

_Emily's eyes hardened on the woman she loved. "So you lied to me."_

_"No, of course I didn't."_

_The ambassador's daughter slowly shook her head. "You told me you were done doing business with him and you're contacting him. Unless it's just a 'how was your day?' text, then you lied to me."_

_Alex sighed, shoving her phone into her back pocket. "Em come on, you don't understand."_

_"I don't understand what? That you lied to me?" the older woman pressed, taking a step forward. "That you're still doing illegal shit behind my back when you sat me down and said that you were finally done."_

_The woman with her glasses hanging from the tip of her nose shook her head. "Dammit Emily, you don't get it! You don't get how hard this is to get out of, ok? I've been in this business for ten goddamn years," the dark haired woman spit out. "Do you really think I can just stop doing what he tells me? I could die!"_

_Emily shook her head, tears stinging her eyes as she ran her hands through her hair. "I can't believe this."_

_"Emily, you know I don't have a choice."_

_"You're lucky I don't report you," she hissed, looking to Alex with her hard chocolate eyes. "I could be arrested just for keeping this information from the police, do you understand that?"_

_Alex looked to her girlfriend with wide eyes. "Of course I do."_

_Emily sniffled, shaking her head and looking off into the dark night. "I can't deal with this."_

_Alex's jaw almost dropped, watching as the older woman gathered her things. "What do you mean? Where are you going?"_

_"I can't deal with this, ok?" The ambassador's daughter look to her girlfriend with sad eyes as she shrugged her shoulders. "I can't deal with the fact that you're still in this situation and you lied to me about it. You lied to my face."_

_"Wait!" Alex walked after the older woman and followed her all the way down to the creek. "Emily, you can't be serious. Where are you going?"_

_Emily shook her head. "I'm going home."_

_Alex stood with her shoes soaking in the water of the river as her girlfriend crossed the bridge, so upset that she was walking the three miles to the nearest train station._

_She was sure it was the end for them._


	7. Chapter 7

Red fixed her glasses over her eyes as she watched the new inmate in her kitchen whisk the bowl of eggs she had set in front of her. "You're very good," the Russian observed, smiling to the younger woman when she looked up from her task. "You have a good hand for this."

"I love cooking," Emily nodded. "I don't know a lot, but what I do know can be used everywhere."

The older woman leaned against the counter and folded her arms over her chest. "Where did you learn, Emily?"

Turning her head, Emily smiled softly to the head chef. "All over, kind of." She felt herself blush and almost shrink away before continuing to whisk the eggs. "I was born in Belgium but moved when I was one to Vermont. Then at six, I went to Italy and was there until I was sixteen, before coming to live in New York. After graduating, I went to Virginia. Every place has a different type of food, you know? I always loved getting to know how to work around the different ingredients and mix them all together to create something new."

Red's cheeks hurt from smiling so hard at the younger woman. It was as if she was a younger version of her.

Emily looked up and immediately clamped her mouth shut. "Sorry," the agent blushed, shaking her head. "I always do that."

"Do what?"

The ambassador's daughter kept her smile to herself. "Talk too much. I tend to blabber."

Standing from her spot at the counter, Red brought a new box of rinsed potatoes and began peeling. "Better to talk a lot than keep your mouth shut. Conversation is good; keeps the company from getting boring," she laughed.

"Hey," a new voice shouted, and both women turned to look to the kitchen's entrance. "Who's the new girl?"

Red pointed her peeler at the woman with the rotten teeth. "Her name is Emily and you're not allowed to be in here."

"I'm not allowed but she is? What the hell, Red?"

Emily kept her head down and poured the mix she had been preparing into the simmering pan on the stove. It was still her first week, and she sure as hell wasn't getting into any fights.

She had thirty years to go, and she wasn't wasting it in solitary confinement.

"What the fuck, Red? What the fuck?"

The Russian laughed, going back to her peeling. "Tucky, you know better than to come back here with the guards roaming around. You want a shot?"

Emily took the spatula and began mixing around the frying eggs before her. "A shot?"

"Like a demerit on your record," the head chef nodded. "You get three and you're sent down to the SHU."

Grimacing, Emily went back to what she was cooking.

The southern inmate looked to the new woman in her orange jumpsuit with hard eyes, watching as she took a pinch of spices and threw them into her eggs. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

Emily looked to the younger woman and frowned, her free hand gesturing to the pan on the stove. "Cooking?"

"What? You're trying to be a smartass about it?"

Red walked over to the younger girl and shooed her out of the kitchen. "Enough with that, Tiffany. You can't be back here, and you can't harass the staff. Go, now."

The brunette woman bit her lip. "Red?" she asked softly, waiting until the older woman was back beside her before she looked up from her dish. "Can I ask what the problem is? Should I not be back here?"

"Don't worry, dumpling. Norma isn't feeling well today and you happily volunteered to help me in the kitchen," the redheaded woman grinned. "Don't think I don't appreciate it. And you're very good at what you do."

"Thank you."

Red peeled a few more potatoes and handed them off to one of her other assistants. "Emily, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course," the agent nodded.

Red crossed her arms and leaned back against the counter, smiling when the smell of the new inmate's breakfast wafted through the air. "Alex has been asking about you. Care to tell me why?"

Emily stiffened, and she shook her head. "She's asking the whole prison?"

The older woman heard the sarcasm in the brunette's voice, and she narrowed her eyes. "Don't be smart. She was wondering if you were alright, and this is the first time I've gotten to talk to you. So? How are you?"

"I'm in prison," Emily drawled. "I've had better days."

"So should I ask what is going on between you two?"

Emily gave a small shake of the head. "I'd prefer if you didn't. I'd like if I can go just one day without someone asking me about her, or asking what went on. It's nothing, she's fine, I'm fine, and we're both working it out."

Red pursed her lips, seeing Alex off in the distance. "Well maybe actually talking would help you get passed it easier."

Turning her head, the ambassador's daughter saw her ex standing with her back against a far wall, and she shook her head. It wasn't the time.

"Hey Princess!"

Emily smiled to the dirty blond woman and laughed when she tried to steal her spices. "What are you doing back here?"

"She's allowed!" Red's voice interrupted, the older woman watching as the two bumped their elbows together. "She's family."

Tearing her eyes from the younger woman's, Emily's head tilted up as she heard her name over the loud speaker. "What was that?"

Nicky slapped at the agent's back, taking her place before the stove. "That means you've got a visitor."

"I have a visitor?" Who would come to visit her?


	8. Chapter 8

Emily smiled nervously to the pair that sat in front of her, and she tried to get comfortable in the plastic chair she sat in. "I can't believe you guys are here," she laughed, shaking her head in disbelief. "My parents haven't even contacted me yet."

JJ did her best to smile at the older woman. "You look good."  
;  
"Cut the bullshit."

The man by her side shook his head. "You do look good, considering."

Emily shrugged, leaning back in her chair and watching as the guard walked around the visiting room. "I guess. So what are you guys doing here?" She was surprised anyone wanted to talk to her after what she'd done."

"We wanted to make sure you were ok," the blond said. "We all know what can happen on the other side of the bars."

The ambassador's daughter felt her chest tighten as she looked to the woman she once loved, the woman who had brought her out of the depression Alex Vause had put her in. "You really don't," she whispered. "Trust me, I thought I did with all the cases we've worked and things we've seen, but you have no idea what goes on back there. Do you realize I've had two women fighting over me to see who can get into my pants first? For a game!"

"Quiet down."

Emily eyed the guard before looking back to her friends. "What the fuck is that about?"

JJ leaned forward, Hotch staying still in the seat beside her. "Well did you let them?"

"No!"

"Inmate!" the guard yelled, catching the attention of everyone else in the room. "Keep it down."

Emily held her hands up in surrender and shook her head. "Sorry."

Hotch itched at his knee through the tailored slacks he wore. "What about your counselors? Have you been assigned, yet? They're supposed to help you with situations like that."

"The girls are harmless," she denied. "One is in for drugs and the other for theft. They're not violent people."

JJ glared at the older woman when she heard the words coming from her mouth. "Do you not understand where you are?"

Emily's eyes darkened as she put on a smile. "I'm sorry JJ, would you like to come back here and try it out for a day?" The agent frowned at her friends, leaning her elbows on the small table that separated them. "Of course I know where I am, but I'm trying to make the best of it. I have a lot of years to go, if you've forgotten, and I don't need to be making enemies."

"That's another reason for us being here," the only man at the table chimed in. "Your lawyer contacted both your parents and I and told us he's trying to get you an appeal."

The ebony haired woman's eyes widened. "Already?"

Hotch gave a nod of the head. "Everyone knows what you did was self defense, and the judge is prepared to let you have your appeal in about five months. Same evidence, different jury."

Emily bit down into her bottom lip. "What if they don't believe me?"

The blond could hear the tears in her friend's voice, and she fought against the urge to reach across the table and take a hold of her hand. "Sweetie, we're going to get you out of here and you're going to be ok. We know what you went through, and we're going to drill it into the minds of those jurors so they know the mindset you were in. Do you hear me?"

Emily rolled her watering eyes to try and dry them as she nodded her head.

"How have your days been?"

The brown eyed woman blew out a breath. "A lot of the girls are really nice," she nodded. "Alex Vause is here."

JJ's eyes bugged. "Alex Vause? The Alex Vause?"

Emily gave a humorless smile as she nodded to the younger woman. "The one and only. You think my lawyer would have told me she was in her for drug dealing, but no."

"Maybe he didn't know."

The ambassador's daughter glared at the older man. "Are you fucking kidding me? How would he not know?"

JJ shook her head. "You have to do your best to stay calm. This isn't a good situation, but you can't make it worse by getting into any fights with her."

Emily laughed, shaking her head. "She's everywhere I turn, it's fucking ridiculous."

"Can you maybe tell the guards that you have to stay away from her? Like a prison restraining order?"

Glaring at the younger woman, the convict's fingers tightened as if they were ready to wring her neck. "Why the fuck are you here if you're going to offer up useless ideas?"

JJ sat back. "Sorry."

Emily roughly ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm so fucking stressed. I don't know if I can handle this."

Leaning forward, Hotch put his hand as close as he could to the younger woman's without touching her. "We're going to get you out of here, Em. It's going to take a little while but our appeal can mean every charge is dropped."

The dark haired agent smiled timidly. "I need you working with my lawyer, Hotch. You're the only way I'll win this time."

The older man was surprised. "You trust me enough for that?"

"You're my best friend," Emily whispered tearfully. "Please, just help him out. I need to get out of here," she stressed, "and definitely out of Alex's sight."


	9. Chapter 9

_She hated the feelings of those hot tears running down her cheeks that flamed red. She didn't choose to feel this way, it was that damn tattooed woman's fault, but here she was on the bridge they had first met on, and she couldn't bare to look up from the rippling water of the river to catch sight of someone who may have been walking by._

_Emily had broken up with Alex Vause._

_The younger woman couldn't give two shits about how she was feeling about everything she had done, and she hadn't even tried to call the ambassador's daughter to see if she was ok._

_There was no way she was going to feel ok for a long time._

_Sniffling and running the back of her hand against her nose, Emily glanced down to see the remaining white residue from the deed she had done an hour earlier._

_She had been sitting on the bridge for three of the five hours she had been at the park, and an hour earlier, she had taken a small baggy out of her jacket that she had stolen from her ex and spread the small grains on the back of her hand before sniffing it up._

_Now she finally understood why people did the things they did, and why Alex sold this stuff to people._

_It made her forget everything._

_Until she looked down to her hand and saw the ring that her ex had put there. A promise was never meant to be broken, and that's exactly what the young drug dealer had done when she lied to her and pretended as if what she felt wasn't a big deal._

_Alex Vause didn't deserve her._

_Alex Vause wasn't a woman Emily was to be with because she wasn't truthful; she was a manipulative person and she was a bitch._

_She didn't deserve someone like Emily._

_Letting out a breath and finally bringing her knees away from her chest and letting her legs fall off the side of the bridge, the brunette woman looked down to the band around her finger. It was all she had left of the beautiful woman who had made her feel as if she were the only one in the world._

_Emily had either thrown out or burned all of her clothing, not being able to stand the sight or the smell of the drug dealer who had stolen her heart._

_Slipping the band from her finger, the FBI agent let more tears fall down her cheeks. "I hate you," she whispered sadly, her eyes hardening as she imagined the younger woman in the reflection of the ring. "I fucking hate you."_

_It fell from her fingers and dropping into the rushing water, her ears perking at the sound of it hitting the water beneath her._

_She was finally free from her._

Blinking rapidly to shed the tiredness from her eyes, Emily looked up from the flower she was planting and smiled to the other inmate. "I'm alright."

The big haired blond gave a shrug, dropping off the pliers that her friend had asked for to fix the fence that enclosed the flower garden she had been working on. "Really? I couldn't tell by the tears in your eyes there."

Emily bit her lip, watching as the younger woman kneeled before her. "It's a big day."

"What in the hell could be special in prison?"

The agent laughed at the logic, and she gave a short nod of the head. "Anniversary, kind of."

Nicky's eyes widened. "Really? Care to share?"

Emily sat back on her knees, put down the tools she was using, and she shrugged her shoulders. "I was supposed to get married on this day."

"Supposed to?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Something got in the way," the agent said sadly, watching Alex walk from the tool shed and to the track to try and find her friend.

Nicky followed the older woman's line of sight and laughed. "Something or someone?"


	10. Chapter 10

Emily reached down to her toes and sighed, the stretching of her back muscles giving her such a good feeling. She hadn't been able to relax and feel comfortable in years, and prison was turning out to be a good place for that.

The blond leading the class stood back up and brought her hands together, taking in a breath. "Now straighten up and get into our favorite," she giggled, "the tree pose."

Emily shook her hair from her face as she stood back up, her eyes smiling up to the older woman who was leading the class and followed her every move, holding the poses as long as she had to.

She had been trying her best to try and relax and finally accept what her fate, at least for the moment, was to be, and that was for her to be at Lichfield Correctional until her appeal was to happen.

Her hoped appeal.

And she was apparently supposed to be with Alex. Not in a romantic sense, that was obvious from everything they had already gone through, but there wasn't a day in this prison that the agent didn't see her ex, and she was starting to think it was time, after her first three weeks, to have the talk they both knew they needed to have. It was something that, in the moment wouldn't make either of them feel better, but it was what was necessary for them to move on from the purgatory they were stuck in.

"And breathe," Yoga Jones sighed happily. "That's it for today, girls. You all did so well."

Rolling up her mat, Emily held it tight to her chest.

"Next week, it'll be at two alright? The room is going to be booked a little into our time so we're just going to move it back an hour."

The ambassador's daughter bit her lip and turned around, watching as the AA meeting finished up and began packing their chairs.

"Hey Vanilla."

Emily's head turned. "Hi," she nodded kindly. "I don't think we've met."

;The younger woman pursed her lips. "Nah, but you've met four eyes over there," she laughed, calling over the tattooed woman over. "You can't take your damn eyes off of her. What? Let her tap your ass already?"

Alex came over and gave the darker woman the finger. "Leave her alone, Taystee."

"I'm just being nice."

Emily gulped, her eyes down to the mat in her hand as the two other women had their own conversation.

Alex gave a shake of the head. "Don't you have library duty now? If you're not there, who's going to stop the other inmates from fucking in the history section?"

Poussey came up from behind her friend and threw an arm around Emily, pointing accusingly at the tattooed woman. "History is the best section there."

Waiting until the two other women walked off to get to their jobs for the day, Emily nibbled on her bottom lip and turned to look up to her ex. "Hey."

"Hey," the younger woman nodded. "What's up?"

Emily could have smirked. She should have expected the cold attitude after she had ignored the younger woman for so long. "I heard you in your meeting," the agent nodded, gesturing to the place in the common room where the podium was being rolled to the corner. "You didn't speak much."

Alex shrugged. "Been here for a while; most of the girls know what's happened."

"Everything?"

The younger woman let her brows raise. "No," she said softly. "Not everything."

Emily slowly nodded her head, and she did her best to keep her grip on her yoga mat soft so she wouldn't rip it up and ruin it because of the anxiety she was feeling. "So, you really wanted to talk to me."

"Yeah, but you aren't ready yet. I get that." Alex began to back out of the room. "Like you said," she laughed, "you've got a lot of years left."

The FBI agent held up her hand. "Do you want to talk now?"

Alex stopped in her stride, her dark eyes widening just slightly at the calm look on her ex's face. "Really?" She would do anything to explain herself to the woman she loved.

Emily nodded. "Please?"


	11. Chapter 11

Alex got herself comfortable on her ex's cot, the one she was just moved to that day to room with Nicky, and watched as the older woman did her best to try and formulate her first sentence. They had been sitting there for a good six minutes and twenty-eight seconds, and the drug dealer was doing her best to let Emily get herself together so they could finally have their talk.

Emily gulped.

"Are you ok?"

The older woman held up a hand as she shook her head. "No, I'm fine," she breathed, getting both of her legs up onto the bed. "I'm ok."

Alex let out a laugh. "You're fine? Really? That's why you're about to have an anxiety attack?"

Emily glared at the younger woman she had been in love with. "I'm sorry if the fact that being so close to you in over a dozen years is getting to me."

Alex let herself nod, and she slowly moved farther away from the older woman.

"No," the agent sighed, reaching out and grabbing her ex's arm. "Stop."

"What? I thought you wanted space."

Emily scoffed and pulled the younger woman back toward her, their legs touching on the bed. "Stop," she almost whispered. Her hand stayed against the glasses wearing woman's arm, and her eyes flew up to meet those of her ex. "I'm fine."

Alex slowly nodded her head.

"Ok." The FBI agent finally took her hand away from her ex and ran her fingers through her dark hair. "What I don't think has gone through your head is what you put me through. We were so good together, but you cared more about your business than me."

"You don't get that my business was my life," Alex grinned humorlessly. "I had it before you came into my life. How was I supposed to just stop that?"

Emily frowned. "The fact that it was illegal and got you where you are now? That didn't even go through your mind?"

"Of course it did, but that's not the point."

The older woman's jaw almost dropped. "That's exactly the point, Alex! That's the whole point of us breaking up and us being where we are now. You don't get that?"

Alex shrugged her shoulders. "Selling coke and heroine was a drug on it's own. I didn't have to take it for it to have that affect on me."

"Yeah well I did."

The tattooed woman tilted her head. "What?"

Emily cursed herself, shrinking under her ex's gaze. The drug dealer didn't know about her addiction. "Nevermind."

"No, what?" What was that supposed to mean?

Emily's eyes flickered up to her ex's, and she pathetically shook her head. "I got hooked on coke."

Alex wanted to slap the older woman. "What the fuck? Emily, what the fuck did you do that for?"

Emily threw her hands in the air. "What in the fuck does that mean? I was upset and I was hurt, and I snorted what I found it _your_ pocket! This is all on you!"

"What do you mean you were upset? So you're upset and you go and find shit in my belongings and decide to use it? How the fuck is that my fault?"

"Ladies!"

Both brunettes turned to the officer who pointed an accusing finger in their direction. "Quiet down."

Emily waited until he went back up to the viewing room before turning back to the woman she had given her heart to. "I was wearing your jacket on the night we broke up," she said quietly, trying not to disturb the other inmates and workers around them. "I went back to the park late at night and found a baggy in the pocket, so I took it."

Alex shook her head, looking disappointedly at the older woman.

"Don't look at me like that," the older woman seethed. "It was supposed to be a one time thing."

"Cocaine is not a one time thing!"

Emily glared. "You don't think I know that? I don't know that what I did had consequences? I was so upset and angry with you that I didn't know what else to do, ok? How low must have I been feeling to do that to myself?"

The younger woman's eyes softened on the obviously upset inmate, and she let herself take a step back and try and calm her expression. "Pretty low."

Emily's eyes watered. "I loved you," she whispered. "I loved you more than I ever thought I could love someone and you didn't have the same feelings."

"Of course I did," the drug dealer tried to reason. "Emily, we were going to get married."

The FBI agent sadly shook her head. "If you loved me, you wouldn't have continued to do what I asked you not to. You wouldn't have gone behind my back and sold drugs, and if you really couldn't stop and you cared enough, you would have told me. But you didn't."

Alex chewed on the inside of her cheek. "Ok," she said slowly. "I can see where you're coming from."

Emily glanced up to the ceiling and blinked away her tears. She couldn't seem weak in front of the woman who had helped her through so much. "We both have a lot of time to spend in here, and we obviously have to see each other. I just want to clear the air, you know?"

"Be civil," the younger woman nodded.

Emily sucked her lips between her teeth and tried to get her heartbeat to calm down. "We just have to deal with each other. Simple as that."


	12. Chapter 12

"I don't think you understand," the woman in glasses hissed into the phone, turning her back to the other inmates to try and shield them out of her conversation. "She's not going to survive in here. We need to get her out."

The Unit Chief set his elbows on the table and rubbed his free hand across his creased forehead. "How did you get my number again?"

"Aaron!"

Hotch shook his head. "I'm trying here, alright? You don't get how difficult this is."

Alex threw her hand in the air. "How difficult do you think it is for her? She murdered two people and insists on just dealing with it instead of talking to her counselor. He's a homophobic piece of shit anyway," the inmate gruffed, "but still!"

"Alex, I understand your concerns; Emily is my best friend. This is something I've been working on, but you know it doesn't take a short amount of time. We're trying to work everything out, but the evidence is spotty."

The drug dealer frowned. "What do you mean 'spotty'?"

Hotch shook his head and continued looking through the papers on his desk. "You know I can't release any information to you about her case."

"Just tell me you see a good outcome for her," the black haired woman pleaded. "Aaron, she has to have a good outcome."

Hotch kept the sigh he wanted to let out locked up inside and gave a pitiful shake of the head as a knock sounded on his door. "I'm trying my best here, Alex. I really am."

Alex slammed the phone down when she heard her time run out, cracking all of her knuckles by clenching her hands so hard. "Fuck!"

"Vause!"

The tattooed woman rolled her eyes and turned to face the guard.

"That's government property."

Alex gave him the finger before walking off toward the bunks. "Yeah, and apparently so are you." She rolled her eyes when she heard him yell to her that was giving her a shot as she continued down the hall, and the brunette shook off the stares from the other inmates. There was nothing on her mind besides her ex at the moment.

Looking up from the pieces of paper she was holding in her hands, Emily watched as the woman she had loved made her way toward her. "Hey," she smiled smally. She held up the papers in her hands. "Did you know Suzanne wrote erotica?"

Alex stopped in her tracks. "Erotica?"

The agent gave a quick nod of the head, moving so she stood next to the taller woman so she could see the words on the pages. "Some kind of weird, futuristic alien erotica." Eyes batting up to the drug dealer, Emily's head tilted. "Erotica is like porn," she supplied for the woman with wide eyes, "but with kind of a backstory."

"I know what erotica is," the younger woman tried to laugh off. "Why is she writing it?"

"Why do you do anything in prison?"

Alex slowly nodded her head. "True." Stepping a foot away from the beautiful woman, the drug dealer looked to her ex with surprised eyes. "Hey, what are you doing inside? Don't you have to work in the garden today?"

The older woman gave her ex a skeptical look, leading her a few feet across the hall so they could look out the window. "Did you not notice the blizzard tearing it up out there?" she chuckled. "No one is allowed out."

Fixing her glasses on her nose, Alex gave a small nod. "Right."

"Hey are you ok?"

Her head shot up. "What?"

Emily let her worried eyes flicker up and meet those of her ex. "Are you ok?" she repeated, making sure the younger woman was to look directly into her eyes so she could see the emotions flooding through them. "What's wrong?"

"No nothing," Alex tried to laugh off. "I'm fine." The look her ex was giving her had her melting under her stare, the worried glance she would always shoot her when the agent knew she wasn't doing her best, but she shook her head. "Don't you trust me?"

She knew her ex saw her hesitate to answer before she put on a small smile. "Just find me if you need me."

Alex watched the older woman walk away and back toward the other inmates she had been hanging out with beforehand. Seeing her smile along with her new friends made the drug dealer wish she was one of those friends, but it was going to take time to get to even a small fraction of what they had had.

And right now, she needed to focus on getting the love of her life out from behind the bars and wires that kept her locked in.


	13. Chapter 13

Her back arched, breaths coming in quick as she felt herself come crashing back to earth. Doing her best to catch her breath and open her eyes back up, Emily wiped her fingers on the mattress beneath her before sitting up against her pillow. She had never realized how aroused a person could get after being abstinent for almost an entire month; no one being able to satisfy her needs from behind bars.

And like always, she had thought of the most beautiful woman she had ever laid her eyes on.

Letting out a breath, Emily's teeth nibbled into her bottom lip.

"You good there, sexpot?"

The brunette's head spun at the voice, her neck immediately cracking and her hand flying up to just beneath the back of her head. "Oh my God," she whispered, her eyes shutting up tight as the pain flew up and down the length of her neck. "What the fuck, Nicky?"

Laughing, the other inmate held herself on her side with her elbow digging into her pillow. "Not my fault you didn't check to see who was awake and who was sleeping before you went to town on yourself."

Emily huffed and laid herself back down on her pillow. Turning her head, the newest inmate blushed. "Did you really see?"

Nicky shrugged. "I didn't see your goods but I sure saw you playing with them."

The dark eyed woman covered her face with her hands and shook her head.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed. You want some help for the second orgasm?"

Emily laughed, turning her head to look at her friend. "I'm good," she chuckled. "I don't want to be a tally on your score sheet."

Nicky frowned. "You heard about that?" Seeing the beautiful woman bite into her bottom lip to stop her laughter as she nodded to her. "You know, I could always just bang you and leave it off the score chart."

"As sweet as that is," the laughing woman tried to whisper, not wanting to wake the others who were fast asleep in their beds, "I need to get some sleep, and so do you."

"It always helps to sleep better after multiple orgasms."

Emily waved her hand at the younger woman to dismiss the thought, and she rolled on her side to face the bricks that enclosed them in their room.

The blonde's eyes never left her new friend's back as the thoughts steamrolled through her mind. "Prentiss?"

"Yeah?"

"I heard you on the phone the other day," the inmate stated, wanting the older woman to turn back around so she could see her face. "You're getting an appeal?" She was leaving already?

Emily frowned, hearing the tone of the addict's voice as she asked the question. "My lawyer is trying his hardest, yes."

Nicky's fingers curled into her pillow.

Rolling onto her back so she could face her friends once again, the ambassador's daughter let her eyes meet those of the younger woman. "It won't be for months," the older woman survived, never letting her gaze leave her friend's. "It may not even happen."

"If it does, you're gonna write to me, right? I can call you when I want?"

Emily smiled wide to the younger woman. They had grown close over the few weeks the FBI agent had been behind the bars of Lichfield Correctional Facility, and if one were to get out without the other, they'd make sure to stay close to the barbed wire that kept them either in or out of the prison.

They were a team.

"If I'm having sex with the hottest woman there could ever be, you can give me a call," Emily cackled, pulling her blanket up to cover her face when she heard someone at the end of the hall hissed at them.

Nicky let out a laugh. "I can't call you if I'm already having sex with you, Princess."

Emily's face burned a bright red and she shoved her face into her pillow. "Oh my God!" the brunette gasped, grinning to the younger woman. "I cannot believe you."

"I only tell the truth, fucker," the drug addict laughed. Watching as her friend got herself comfortable in her bed, Nicky ran a hand through her insanely curly hair. "You should come to group tomorrow."

The brunette woman looked to the blond on the other side of the room. She had spilled her guts about her addiction, a way to bond once more with the friendly inmate, and she wouldn't stop trying to help her through it. "I have yoga."

"What the fuck is going to help you through a fucking cocaine addiction? Yoga?"

Emily gave a small shrug of the shoulders. "It's relaxing," she whispered shortly. "I'd rather stretch and help relieve my stress that way instead of talking about it. Growing up, we didn't talk about things."

Nicky nodded. "Yeah me neither, but things change."

Lying back onto the pillow that felt like cardboard beneath her head, the agent thought back to the conversation she had had with her ex that afternoon. "Yeah," the brunette breathed. "Things change."


	14. Chapter 14

"Angry."

Alex shrugged her shoulders, arms tight over her chest. "Bored."

Rosa sat back in her chair. "Tired," she coughed.

"Kind of confused," the ambassador's daughter threw in, feeling her ex's eyes on her from the seat next to her.

Big Boo raised her hand. "Really fucking annoyed," the dark haired woman lashed out. "What the fuck are we doing here?"

The newest correctional officer in Litchfield clasped her hands together before her and tried her best to grin to the inmates who sat before her. "Ok so Rogers was supposed to head this new idea but she's out today, so I'm taking over."

"What the fuck are we doing, Fischer?"

"We," Fischer smiled, "are having an improv class!"

The rest of the room stayed silent, every stare and glare from the inmates burning right through the guard who stood before them.

"Ok, well the reason for doing this is because Rogers felt that whenever she would act in her drama class in high school and college, she would find that she got herself to calm down and feel a little more relief. So we thought that it would be a good idea to try it out with all of you to see if your stress level seems to lessen."

Big Boo raised her brow at the younger woman. "Do you know how fucking stupid that sounds?"

Leaning into her friend, Nicky nudged Emily's shoulder and gestured to the guard who was trying to get a few of the inmates to stand up and perform one of the exercises. "I tried to bang her."

"For points?" the FBI agent laughed. "Or are you actually into her?"

"She ain't like you, Princess. She's just for points."

Alex heard the words and glared at her friend from the other side of the ambassador's daughter, her dark eyes looking to the blond hard through the lenses of her glasses.

Nicky laughed, leaning away from the new inmate. "Sorry there Princess, but your girlfriend doesn't want me to get up in your cherry."

Emily's jaw dropped and she turned to look at the tattooed woman who sat beside her. "Alex," she hissed. "Stop it."

"Stop what? I wasn't even looking at you?"

The woman with the lion's mane winked to the drug dealer she had been in jail with for a good few years. "Don't worry there tiger, I didn't see your girl's vagina. I mean she tried to show it to me, but I didn't want to betray you like that."

Emily's eyes bugged at the words and slapped her friend on the arm. "I did not!" she screeched, turning her head with her hair flying. "Alex, I did not!"

"Prentiss?"

The dark eyed woman looked up to the front of the room to see the guard gesturing for her to come up to the front.

Fischer smiled. "Emily, would you come and demonstrate?"

Emily ran her hands over her covered thighs before standing and making her way over to the guard.

"Who wants to join Emily in this exercise?"

Alex let her hand raise in the air, her dark eyes staring hard to the beautiful woman she was in love with who stood meekly before all the other inmates. "I'll do it."

The older woman gulped as the angry looking woman got up from her seat and stood across from her, her arms crossed over the brown uniform top they were all forced to wear. "I didn't, I swear," she whispered.

"You've already found a prison wife?" her ex seethed back, eyes narrowing at the ambassador's daughter. "What the fuck is the matter with you?"

Emily felt her chest tighten as she started to grow angry. "Don't you fucking blame anything on me."

"I can't blame your sluttiness on you? Really?"

Quickly putting her arms in between the two women to stop their bickering, Fischer smiled. "Ok! So, why don't we start our improvisation? Can someone give Alex and Emily a place where this improve will take place?"

"A fair?" the yoga instructor suggested.

Suzanne's hand shot up into the air. "The moon."

Rosa pointed to the two women. "A shoe store."

The guard nodded, her hands on both inmates' shoulders. "A shoe store. And what's happening?"

"Returning a pair of shoes."

"Ok Alex," Fischer grinned, excited for the improve to finally take place. "You're returning a pair of shoes to the shoe store. Go."

Alex glared at her ex who stood before her with her arms down by her sides, those innocent eyes looking to her as she took a step forward. "I want to return these shoes," she said shortly, holding out her hand as if the shoes were there.

Emily slowly nodded her head. "Why do you want to return them?"

"They're used."

The older woman grit her teeth, knowing exactly what her ex was referring to. "Those shoes are not used, ma'am. I sold them to you myself."

Alex tilted her head. "Well I was told by my friend that she used these exact shoes, and I don't want them anymore."

"You don't want them anymore?" Emily scoffed, eyes wide as she gestured to the imaginary shoes there. "I didn't force you to have these shoes, ma'am. You bought them on your own."

"And now I want to give them back," the other inmate fired back.

Emily took the imaginary shoes from her ex. "And how should I repay you, ma'am? Would you like another pair of shoes? Or are you going to find an excuse to give those back as well?"

Alex glared. "I was told by a friend that these were used; for all I know your entire inventory has been given to other people before you put them on the market."

The agent's anger boiled. "Put them on the market?" she whispered lowly.

Big Boo sat forward and tapped her opponent on the shoulder. "So what are they actually talking about?"

"Princess' vagina," Nicky laughed.

Alex took a step back when the older woman tried to shove the imaginary pair of shoes back into her hands. "I don't think you get it. I don't want something that someone close to me has touched," she stated. "Especially if it's been used by one of my friends."

"And I'm telling you that no one has used this product other than you."

The drug dealer snorted. "So you want me to believe you instead of a trusted friend?"

Emily's dark eyes bore a hole through her ex. "You don't think that maybe your friend was telling a lie just to get a rise out of you?" she asked. "You're going to trust someone who has never once bought a product from me instead of the person who sold these directly to you?"

Alex's shoulders began to relax as she looked out to the other inmates, watching as Nicky nodded up to her.

Emily bit her lip. "So will you take the shoes?"

The tattooed woman paused, her dark eyes meeting those of the woman she had loved for over two decades, and set out of her hands so Emily could place the shoes there.

Fischer grinned, clapping her hands together and interrupting the moment the two were sharing. "Great! That was so great!"

Emily smiled shortly to the guard before excusing herself to take a trip to the bathroom, feeling the eyes of everyone in the room on her as she did her best to make a quick escape. She shook off her nerves, that familiar warm feeling in her stomach haunting her as she thought of what she and the younger woman had really just done.

Feeling a hand wrap around her slender wrist, Emily's head shot up to see the drug dealer stare down to her with those intimidating eyes before she realized she was being pulled down the hall toward the chapel. "Alex?"

"Shut up," the younger woman hissed as she shoved her ex into the dark room and slamming the door behind them.

Emily felt her heart beating out of her chest as she was led toward the stage in the prison's chapel, and she let the tattooed woman back her up against the wooden stage. "So what are we doing?" she almost whispered, her dark eyes staring up into those she had fallen in love with. "Praying the gay away?"

Alex weaved her fingers through her ex's dark hair before yanking hard, her breath mixing with that of the older woman when she bent her head down to hers. "Not even close."

A moan quickly filled the otherwise silent room as Emily let Alex dominate the kiss. She gasped, her ex picking her up and setting her on the stage before the agent wrapped her legs around the beautiful woman and gripped her uniform tight in her fingers.

"God, I missed you."

Emily's head tilted back as her ex licked her way down her neck, those midnight eyes fluttered closed as Alex's hand slipped beneath her pants.

Laughing at the gasp that escaped the older woman when she plunged three fingers into her, Alex brought the agent's head down so she could kiss her hard. "Shut up."


	15. Chapter 15

Rocking her hips up against her ex's hot tongue as she did her best to make her cum a fourth time, Emily felt her head start to spin. "Alex," she sighed, her breath catching as her fingers gripped the obviously dyed jet black hair tighter in her hand.

Alex shoved another finger into the older woman and smiled against her skin, hearing her scream echo through the chapel.

"Fuck!" Emily shoved her ex's head from between her legs so she could finally catch her breath.

The younger woman grinned and crawled up the beautiful woman's body and kiss her soundly, loving the fact that she could still make the woman she loved melt under her touch.

Emily smiled gently as the brunette kissed her lips, biting into the soft flesh there and tugging gently to get that tingling sensation throughout her body to last just a bit longer. "God, you're good at that."

Alex let out a laugh. "Same to you." Sure she had done most of the work, but the older woman sure had her set of skills.

Dragging her fingers along the soft skin of her ex, Emily leaned her head back against the wood of the stage, her eyes staring up into those of the drug dealer. "So what? This make me your prison wife?"

The glasses wearing woman pursed her lips as she nodded her head, straddling the older woman's hips. "Basically," the brunette sighed, leaning down just enough so their breasts brushed one another's and she heard a moan escape her ex. "I mean, now that I've had you before anyone else, you're basically my property."

"Property?" Emily chuckled. "I don't do submission."

"Really? Because when you're with me that's all you ever do."

Hearing the low whisper, the FBI agent bucked up against the younger woman. "You think so?" Flipping them over, Emily pinned Alex's hands against her head. "I don't think you know me that well."

Alex shook her head. "You're right," the tattooed woman whispered. "I don't know you."

Emily felt herself grow confused at the brown eyed woman's words, and she tilted her head.

"I don't know the Emily who kills to men and then refuses to open up to me, the woman she agreed to marry," Alex husked. "I don't know that Emily."

The ambassador's daughter's grip on her ex's wrists loosened.

Alex stared up to the older woman and did her best to sit up, her elbows on the stage to help herself. "Tell me what happened."

Emily shook her head. "I can't do that."

"What do you mean you can't? Emily, it's me."

"And this is me," the older woman argued. "This is the woman who you promised you would spend your life with and then lied to. This is the woman who spent years trying to get over you and here I am, right back where I started. And this is the woman who you sure as hell know would never open up about anything to anyone about what she ate for dinner let alone the reason why two men ended up dead," Emily seethed, her brow sweating as her anger swelled. "You don't know this woman at all."

Alex sat herself up, her hands holding onto Emily's hips to keep her seated in her lap. "I want to know," she breathed. "Tell me what happened."

Emily ran her hands over her face and vigorously shook her head.

"Baby, you have to tell someone. You can't just keep this in and let it haunt you like this."

"You don't get it," the older woman whispered darkly.

Alex nodded. "I know. That's why I need you to tell me, ok? I need you to trust me and I need you to tell me what happened to make you react like that."

Emily hands fell from her face and her eyes filled with tears. "You don't get it!" The scream that filled the room was raw, Emily's voice angry and sad and full of despair. "You don't get why I did it! You don't get how it felt to be kept away for months and have them torture and rape you and starve you and beat the shit out of you. Not for information or money," the agent spit, her head shaking, "but for fucking fun. You don't get it!"

The tattooed woman's eyes grew wide. "You were kidnapped?"

Emily's lips quivered as she nodded, an overwhelming feeling of self pity wash over her. "I was really drunk," the brunette admitted, making sure she looked just above those dark eyes because she knew what she would see there. "I was out with my friends and I wanted to stay a little longer, and then everything goes blank."

"You don't remember?"

Letting out a breath to calm herself down, the crying woman pushed her damp hair off her face. "I woke up in this basement, it was cold and it was dark," she cried, "and I was tied up on the floor. I didn't know how long I was down there but it felt like forever." Closing her eyes, she could feel her tears flooding her cheeks. "When I got out, the police said I was missing for four months."

Alex held onto the love of her life just a little tighter, cautiously reaching up and brushing the tears away.

"It was self defense, I swear," Emily hiccupped, pleading with the younger woman to understand what she had went through.

Alex readily nodded her head. "Ok." She took the sobbing woman into a hug, her hands running down the agent's back to get her to calm down and breathe. "It was self defense."

The door to the chapel opened and the two women hurried to hide behind the podium to try and get all their clothing back on.

"Yo four eyes!" Nicky laughed, leading Morello and Tricia into the room and pointing up to the two brunettes who stood on the stage. "You finally get it in with your girl?"

Alex finished adjusting her bra before standing up and blocking the other inmates from seeing the distressed woman. "Out," she ushered, meeting her friend's eyes as she gestured for them to leave. "It's not the time."

Nicky frowned and immediately looked behind the tattooed woman to see Emily trying her best to wipe away all her tears.

"Nicky!"

She held up her hands, giving a nod to her friend to let her know she was sorry before walking out with the others, making a mental note to check in with the new inmate later.

Emily sighed, wiping her fist across her sweating skin to try and dry it. "That's embarrassing," she huffed, giving in and letting her ex help her with the rest of her uniform. "Alex?"

Looking up, Alex put a strand of hair behind the agent's ear.

"Will you help me?"

The younger woman could hear the sense of pity in Emily's tone, and she leaned down to share a kiss with the beautiful woman. She would help her every step of the way.


	16. Chapter 16

Looking between the two women, Healy pointed to them with his pen, his confused eyes going from inmate to inmate to try and decipher what was going on. "This isn't a lesbian thing?"

Emily forced herself not to laugh at the older man, knowing exactly how Alex was feeling as she sat beside her, hiding her smile from the officer. "No sir," she denied, nodding to the correctional officer behind the desk. "This is not a lesbian thing."

"So why are you here together?"

Alex leaned forward, her elbows sitting on her knees. "Emily wanted some support from someone who knew her story."

Healy frowned at the pair. "Her story?"

"Of why she's in here, Healy."

The dry tone of the inmate made Healy glare. "Vause, I don't need you bitching alright? If you're going to do that, then you get out of my office."

Emily watched her ex slowly sit back in her seat. "Mr. Healy, I just want to get a referral."

"For?"

The agent ran her hands over her thighs, nervous to admit what she knew she had been hiding for months on end. "I would like to speak to a psychologist."

Healy's eyes widened at the admission. "A psychologist?"

"Sir," Emily said softly, "I haven't been able to try and get comfortable here for the past month. I understand it's jail and that's obviously not something you'll grow accustomed to, but I haven't been able to deal with the circumstances regarding my case."

"Prentiss, what might those circumstances be?"

Alex saw her ex grow tense. "She doesn't want to discuss it."

Healy frowned.

"Mr. Healy, that's why I want a referral to a psychologist. I think it would be good for me to talk to somebody."

Alex was proud of the older woman, knowing how hard it was for the agent who had learned to keep quiet and stay guarded since she was just a toddler to finally be ready and willing to open up. They both knew it was for the better.

"Prentiss, you know the counselors are here for these things."

Emily quickly shook her head. "I get that, but I think it would make more sense to talk to someone who's licensed." Seeing his immediate reaction, his face falling and eyes dulling, Emily tried to travel back. "Ok, that didn't come out right."

Alex set her hand on her friend's knee. "Healy, s-"

"Hands off."

The tattooed woman held her hands up in surrender. "Healy, all she wants is a professional to talk to. You know her record, you know why she's in here; don't you think it would be a good for her to talk about it?"

"She can talk to me."

Alex shared a look with her friend and immediately looked to the only man in the room when she knew she was given consent to spill her secret. "Healy, do you really think she wants to talk to a man she sees every single day about her being beaten and raped and pushed to the extent of her then killing her two kidnappers?"

Healy watched Emily's eyes downcast, trying to make herself look comfortable enough to sit in the room and being stared at by two people who now knew her secret.

Looking up, the agent slowly nodded her head. "I want to speak to someone who's going to know how to deal with this," she shrugged. "Not that you don't, it's not my intention to insult you, but I think someone who deals with people with problems like mine on a daily basis would be best for me."

The officer watched as one of the newest inmates try her best to keep herself composed and her emotions contained. "Well I can do my best to see what psychologist will be able to come in and visit you. If they can, you'll be having meetings here in this office. I don't want them happening on Saturdays in the visiting room, ok? No one else needs to know about your situation."

Emily grinned at the older man. "Thank you so much, sir."

Watching as both brunettes stand, the officer held out his hand. "But Vause, you will not be allowed in with her unless the therapist says so. You won't be tagging along like you did today."

Alex brushed her fingers along her ex's before exiting the room with a nod of the head.

"Lesbians," Healy sighed, shaking his head as he picked up his phone.

Emily quickly pulled the drug dealer to the side of the hallway and took one of her hands. "Thank you for being in there with me," she whispered, almost afraid of one of the guards coming by and catching them. "I couldn't do that alone."

"I'm sorry I said all of that to him."

Emily shook her head. "He probably wouldn't have given me what he has if you didn't bring it up."

Alex squeezed her friend's hand and gestured down the hall where inmates were allowed phone calls. "I'm supposed to go and call someone, but I'll meet up with you later."

"Yeah, I have to get out to the garden," the older woman almost groaned. It had been snowing for days on end, but the fence around the garden was beginning to rust and the storm had knocked out a few panels on the green house, so the gardening crew was to go and clean everything up.

"You want to meet me later?"

Emily wished she could reach up and kiss the younger woman, knowing why she wanted to meet up with her so badly. It had been a few days since their little chapel stint, and both women were ready to get back to that spot. "Find me after dinner," she grinned.

Alex slapped her hand against her ex's ass before making her way down the hall, immediately picking up one of the phones and dialing a familiar number.

"Aaron Hotchner."

"Aaron," Alex sighed, leaning against the wall. "What do you have for me?"


	17. Chapter 17

"I don't know what else I'm supposed to do," the woman in her glasses hissed into the phone, glancing around to make sure no one was listening in on the conversation. "It's been two weeks and you haven't given me shit."

The older man shook his head. "Alex, I can't make everything go as fast as you'd like."

Growling, the convict turned and faced the brick wall. "I swear to God, Aaron. Emily has been a total wreck, and I have no idea how to help her."

"She's seeing a psychologist," the Unit Chief of the BAU shrugged helplessly, flipping through his friend's file for the hundredth time that day. "That's helped her before."

"Aaron, are you fucking kidding me?"

Leaning forward, Hotch's jaw clenched. "You don't think I'm trying over here? I'm working my ass off with my job and working with Emily's lawyer to try and get her an appeal. These things don't just happen, Alex."

The drug dealer gave a vigorous shake of the head. "I don't understand why it's taking so long."

"Do you want to come over here and fucking deal with this yourself? She's my best friend, Alex. You don't think I want her out of there with people like you?"

Alex's eyes darkened. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Ignoring the angry agent on the other end of the phone, the drug dealer cast her eyes over to the other side of the room to see her ex standing with her hands clasped tightly before her stomach, a nervous smile gracing her beautiful face when Alex made eye contact with her. "Fucking get it together and get her this appeal Aaron, or so help me God you'll be right where I am and you won't like it."

The ambassador's daughter frowned as her ex made her way over to her. "You ok?"

The younger woman immediately shook her head and led her friend down the hallway, purposely getting the attention off of herself with a smile to her ex. "What about you, Em? How'd your session go?"

"Awful," she groused, feeling small around the other women she passed in the hallway. "She offered me medication."

"After three sessions, she wants you on pills?"

Emily gave a humorless laugh. "Yeah. She said what I'm going through is a depression, not just a bad attitude. I've had depression before," she said in a lighter tone, shrugging her shoulders. "I've been just fine."

Alex slowly nodded her head, her fingers brushing the older woman's. "I think this one is a little more serious."

Emily knew she was right. Italy had been one thing, Doyle had been another, but this was the situation that had made her crumble. "But I don't need pills," she almost whined, "I need support."

The drug dealer gave her ex her best smile. "I support you."

A guard down the hall watched as both women's hands seemed to start to interlock, and he quickly ripped out his notebook. "Vause! Prentiss! That's a shot for each of you!"

Alex let her jaw drop. "Are you fucking kidding me? For what?"

"That's two!"

Emily shook her head, grabbing at her friend's uniform to try and get her attention. "Alex," she warned.

The guard glared at the couple. "You want to go for three? I bet Caputo would be more than happy to grant you two a few nights down in SHU."

The woman who had been in jail longer quickly leaned down and pressed her lips to her friend's ear. "564-3289."

Emily shook her head, her eyes wide as the guard grabbed onto her ex's arm. "What?" She almost reached to grab for her friend, but there was no way she could be rotting down in SHU when she was forced into her sessions and meetings with her lawyer every Saturday.

If she missed one, she would be farther away from her hoped date for appeal.

"Call it!" the drug dealer yelled, fighting against the guards who were dragging her down the hall. "Emily, call it!"

Emily felt her heart break at the pain she saw on her ex's face as they hauled her down the hall, and she stumbled back toward the phone and pounded in the numbers that Alex had told her.

"Emily Prentiss?"

The agent's eyes widened. "Yes?" She knew her voice was cracking, and her hold on the telephone tightened.

The person on the older end grinned into the receiver. "I've been expecting your call."


	18. Chapter 18

Biting hard on the thumbnail, Emily sat at her lunch table with her new found jailmate friends staring her way, afraid of what she could do to herself by worrying the way she was.

"Emily, your nail is bleeding."

Her head whipped around at the sudden intrusion of sound ringing in her ears, and she shook her head. "What?"

Nicky grimaced at the sight of the blood from her nail now smeared across her bottom lip. "Princess," she groaned, taking her napkin and wiping off the blood for the older woman. "Baby, this is not the way to wish for your girlfriend to get out of the SHU. You'll be heading down to psych by the time she gets out if this goes on."

Emily huffed, setting her hands flat on the table.

"Why are you worrying so much?"

The ambassador's daughter kept her eyes down.

Nicky waved the others off with her hand before putting an arm around her bunkmate. "Guys, leave her alone. Princess here is in love."

"Stop," she groaned, wanting the blonde's arm off of her as a guard passed by. Of course she was in love with Alex Vause, she had been for decades, but what she was really worried about were the conditions of the SHU. How was Alex surviving?

All Emily wanted was to pull her into a hug.

"Hey," Yoga Jones smiled, pointing behind Emily to the woman in question. "It's Alex."

The agent's eyes widened, surprising everyone with her head not falling off from how quick it spun around to see the dazed woman walking into the cafeteria. "Alex!" She stood and stopped in front of the younger inmate. "Hey. Are you ok?"

Alex gently nodded her head.

Emily saw the confusion in her green eyes and her heart broke. She asked for permission with a slight twinkle in her chocolate eyes before pulling her into a hug, squeezing Alex tight in her arms while the other inmates hollered around them.

"Break it up!"

The older woman held up her hands to the guard before leading the inmate to their lunch table. "What are you thinking?"

Alex shook her head. "I'm just tired."

Emily handed her the bread from her lunch tray and watched as she took small bites. "Did they give you food down there?"

The drug dealer shrugged her shoulders. "Depends on your definition of food."

"I'm so sorry."

Alex looked up from the bread and tried to lock her eyes with the older woman's. "So," she tried to whisper, lowering her voice and leaning into her ex. "Did you call?"

Emily's eyes widened a bit. "Yeah," she choked out, her head near the other inmate's so no one could hear. "Yeah, he said he was more than willing to help." Eying the younger woman, Emily put her elbow on the table. "How do you know him?"

The black haired woman swallowed the bread she was chewing. "Met him a few years ago."

Emily frowned. "I don't need to be in contact with one of your druggie friends," she hissed.

"It's not that," Alex huffed. Looking straight into those dark eyes, the tattooed inmate shook her head. "I swear. I met him when my cousin went missing."

Emily swallowed. "Do you really think I need him?"

"He's a PI," Alex nodded, giving half of the bread back to the woman she loved. "He can help Aaron get new information to grant you your appeal."

The ambassador's daughter felt her eyes water.

"I promise, he can help you."

Nicky grinned at her friend as she moved across the table and kicked at her foot. "So how'd it go down there? Lot of time to hump yourself in the corner?"

Emily frowned at the wording.

"Too much time," the tattooed woman stated blandly.

Reaching under the table, Emily took one of her hands.

"So what are the lovebirds doing today?" Morello asked, sitting down beside Nicky and letting her cup her ass through her pants. "Emily doesn't have garden duty because of all the snow and Alex gets two days off for being in the SHU."

The woman with the lion's mane grinned to her friends.

"We're not going to have sex," Emily huffed, feeling Alex's fingers curl around hers.

...

Running her fingers through her sweaty hair, Emily thrust harder up against the younger woman, her hands gripping at Alex's hips. "Fuck," she hissed, nails digging into the drug dealer's skin as their cunts rubbed together. "Fuck!"

Alex reached out and rubbed her thumb fast against Emily's clit to help her along.

"Fuck!"

The younger woman laughed and rolled them over, watching the agent's head fall back as she thrusted faster.

Emily whimpered as Alex laid her body against hers, slowing down their pace until every time the drug dealer would barely bump their clits together, Emily's entire body would jolt.

"Don't you love fucking me?"

The ambassador's daughter let Alex's rough fingers come up and touch her lips.

"Don't you love getting fucked by me?"

Emily glared at the dominator in the relationship and immediately nipped at her fingers, her eyes connecting with the younger woman's before sucking them into her mouth. She felt Alex's pulse race through the beats in her fingers as her tongues curled around them, and she thrust back against her as she sucked.

Alex hit back with her hips harder than she intended, and she leaned her face right beside the brunette's. "Do you know how beautiful you are?"

She let go of her fingers and brushed her lips under Alex's chin. "Fuck me."

Nicky peeked around the seats in the back row and gripped Morello's hand, smiling wide when she saw Emily wrapping a leg around her best friend to pull her closer. "Dude."

The Jersey girl leaned back against Nicky's chest. "They're pretty hot."

"So hot."

Emily bit down on Alex's bottom lip as she came, not wanting her screams to echo the way they had the previous time.

"Oh pretty baby," the drug dealer cooed, pressing a long kiss to the crook of her neck. "You're so pretty when you cum."

"Yeah?"

Alex brushed the dark hair from the older woman's eyes and brushed a thumb over her cheek. "You're always pretty." She brushed their lips together, keeping their eyes locked. "So beautiful."

Emily's orbs stung at the love she saw in her ex's eyes. "Alex?"

"What is it, baby?"

The ambassador's daughter kept her hands curled around Alex's strong neck. "I don't want to get out without you," she whispered. "Don't help me get out if you can't."

Alex's brow furrowed.

"I don't want to leave you again," Emily husked, letting the younger woman sit them up so she was in her lap. "Don't help me get out if it means leaving you again because I won't."

"Emily, you don't belong here."

"Neither do you!" The brown eyed woman sniffled as she felt Alex's fingers squeezing together against her back. "You belong with me back at home," she sniffled. "We're supposed to be married."

Alex's eyes teared up at the admission. "Emily..."

She shook her head, cutting off the woman she had loved for years. "Don't make me leave you again." Leaning her forehead against the tattooed woman's, Emily kissed her lips. "I love you. Please."


	19. Chapter 19

Screwing in the lamp's last nut and bolt into place, Emily huffed. She had been sent down to the electrical unit because she no longer could work in the garden due to all of the snow, and luckily as a little girl her grandfather had taught her how to work with car engines and wires.

And having Alex transferred down there made it even better.

"Got it working yet, Prentiss?"

Emily glanced up to her supervisor and hid her grimace as she watched him reach down to scratch his balls. "Give me a minute."

Alex looked up from her own lamp and watched as her ex fixed a steel plate over the wires of the lamp.

Flicking on the switch at the base of the lamp, Emily grinned.

It worled.

Joel sat up in his chair and looked wide eyed at the newest inmate.

"Is it really that surprising?" Emily laughed, moving over to her ex and beginning to help her with her own lamp. She had already finished her quota for the day, so why not help out the woman she loved?

"Nope," the bearded man denied, waving his hand at the dark haired couple. "You can't help out."

Emily frowned. "Why not?"

"Let the bitch do her own work."

Alex glared at the fat man at the other end of the room as she heard the other inmates around her grow quiet. "Bitch? Really?" She shook her head of dark hair and grinned, looking down to the wires she was fixing. "Fucking cuntrag."

Emily's head whipped around.

"Excuse me?"

The tattooed inmate could tell her supervisor was angry.

Joel leaned forward on his chair. "You want to fucking try that again?"

Alex grinned, feeling all the eyes of the other inmates on her as she continued to tighten the screws of her lamp with her screwdriver. "You're a sexiest fucking pig who's probably never stuck his dick in a girl in his life, and I'm pretty sure that you're not allowed to talk to inmates the way you're talking to them."

The ambassador's daughter bit down hard on her lip to stop herself from either laughing or yelling at her ex to shut up.

"You're asking for a trip back down to the SHU, Vause!" Joel got himself up and pointed a pair of pliers at the woman with jet black hair. "I'll head right over to Caputo and tell him what you're saying."

"And who's going to back you up?" Standing from her seat, the drug dealer looked around to the other inmates in the electrical shed. "Who here would back up Joel's story about me, whatever he decides to make up, when he goes to Caputo?" She smirked at her friends. "Remember, he has no evidence."

Joel's face grew red. "You think they're going to believe you over me?"

Alex turned back around and nodded, lying her hands flat against her workbench. "You think they're going to believe one officer over a mob of angry inmates?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "You tell them I what? Insulted you? Antagonized you? Do whatever you want. All I have to do is give one complaint of sexual harassment and you're back to the unemployment line."

The FBI agent watched quietly from her seat as their supervisor sat himself back down. "Damn," she whispered, turning to her ex once she got herself seated again. "Was that necessary?"

Alex smiled as she hurried to finish her rewiring.

Emily shook her head, hiding her smile as she stood and put her jacket on. "I'll meet you in the cafeteria, ok?" The younger woman shouldn't take more than another ten minutes to finish her project.

"Gotcha."

Leaning down, the ambassador's daughter brushed her lips beside the lobe of her ex's ears. "I love you." She left the shed before she could see the reaction of the younger woman. Emily had professed her love for the drug dealer more than a dozen times over the past few weeks, and not a single time did the younger woman reply with the same words.

Emily understood. Alex was doing what she should have done the first time they were together: she was guarding her heart.

Stepping out of the blizzard and back into the prison, Emily shook the snow from her hair and made her way down to her bunk to hang up her winter coat. She had gotten reprimanded a few times for leaving it hanging in the laundry room - she had wanted to leave it by the dryers so it would get warm - and now knew to lay it on the small cabinet beside her bed.

"Yo Princess!"

Emily turned at the familiar voice, smiling at the woman with the lion's mane. "Hey Nicky," she laughed, watching the younger woman grin stupidly at her as they walked down toward their bunk. "What's with the grin?"

Nicky shook her head. "Some new chick was lookin' for you."

The brunette agent frowned at the information. "Do I know her?"

"Don't think so. I didn't let her know you had a girlfriend," the drug addict laughed, elbowing her friend in her side. "Thought I'd leave that for you."

Emily rolled her eyes and shook her head, picking up her pace to get to her bunk quick enough that she didn't run into any officers. "Thanks." Walking into her end of the rows of beds, the FBI agent shrugged off her jacket and laid it on her cabinet, running her fingers through her hair to try and dry it out.

"Emily Prentiss?"

The brown eyed woman held in her huff. Turning, she saw a new inmate in her orange jumpsuit standing outside her bunk. "Yeah?"

The blond took a tentative step forward. "There are whispers about you all over the prison, you know that?"

Emily laughed. "Yeah, I know. There are whispers about anyone."

"They said you're into coke."

She went stiff. Looking back up to the newcomer, Emily felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. "Who told you that?"

The blond, her rotting teeth smiling to the agent, nodded her head. "So it's true."

Emily's eyes flickered down to the hands of the younger woman and watched as she snuck a small baggy out of her bra.

Cocaine.

Grinding her teeth, the new inmate watched the other woman's reaction with her fast moving eyes. "I won't tell if you won't."

Emily could feel her heart pounding in her chest at the sight of the drug. "Is that a fucking joke?" She had never heard her voice so deep. "Who told you that? Who told you to do this?" The brunette took an angry few steps forward until she was right in the newcomer's face.

"I just thou-"

"Get out." Emily's face was a color red it had never been, if possible steam would be fuming from her ears, and she felt her stomach start to churn. "GET OUT!"

Alex walked in on the unknown blond practically sprinting from the room, and she hurried over to the woman she had fallen in love with all those years ago. "Hey," she whispered, taking Emily's face in her hands. "Hey look at me."

The agent's head shook, her eyes slamming shut.

"What happened?"

Emily tried to catch her breath, letting herself look up to the younger woman and take comfort in her brown eyes. "I-"

"Emily Prentiss?"

Both brunettes' heads whipped around at the intimidating voice, Alex's hands falling from Emily's face, and they watched as a group of officers marched into the bunks. "Yes?"

Healy, who was standing at the front of the pack, nodding gently to the brunette woman. "You're free to go."

Emily's jaw dropped. "W-What?"

"The judge has ordered for your immediate release."

Alex watched as the officers helped her ex gather up all of her belongings she had collected over her few months in the prison. "What do you mean 'immediate release'?"

Emily couldn't wrap her head around any of the events that she'd been bombarded with, but she let the officers lay her coat and her books in her arms. "I don't get it."

"Prentiss, you're being released. Permanently."

The drug dealer watched as her ex was ushered out of her bunk and down the hall. "Emily!" She ran after the small crowd surrounding the beautiful woman and felt her eyes fill with tears at the look of confusion written across Emily's face. "I love you too," Alex breathed, her heart breaking.


	20. Chapter 20

Holding the plastic bag between her fingers, the newly freed woman tried to loosen her too tight of a grip. It was already a powder she knew, but she was afraid of popping the bag. What a mess that would make.

She had been out of prison for almost three weeks now, and every moment she wasn't stuffing her face with the food she now had the greatest appreciation for or falling asleep every few moments because of how tired her overthinking had made her, the FBI agent was doing her best to get Alex out of jail. She didn't deserve to be there.

Maybe it was her feelings that were leading Emily to that conclusion, but no matter what anyone else thought, she was going to get the dealer out of there.

Hearing her phone ring, the brunette jumped and dropped the baggy to the coffee table. Running a shaking hand over her mouth, she forced herself to get her breathing back to normal before she picked up her phone. "Prentiss."

"Open your door for me?"

Emily shoved the drugs into her pocket before rushing through the expanse of the first floor of her apartment to let her friend in. "I thought you were going to call me when you had news."

Hotch walked into the apartment and grabbed what he knew was his friend's favorite winter coat. "I have news."

Frowning, Emily shoved her arms through the sleeves of her coat.

"Garcia found Alex's drug lord."

The brown eyed woman practically fled from her apartment, following her boss down to the SUV and holding on tightly to the handlebar above her head when Hotch sped down the throughway. "How did you find him so fast?"

Hotch tried for a smile. "Do you know Garcia?"

Emily bit her lip, sharing a small look with the older man.

"The idiot was dealing beside City Hall," he shrugged, turning off of the main city streets to make his way toward the BAU. "Officers caught him and brought him downtown, but Judge Warren transferred him to the BAU when he heard the case we were working."

"He knows we're trying to get Alex out?"

Hotch shook his head. "If he knows we're trying to get her out, then he hasn't given any clues about it. We gave him only a bit of the information he needed to hand him over to us."

Emily rolled her eyes, unbuckling her seatbelt the moment he parked the car. "He thinks we're taking down the entire drug ring."

"Whatever we can do to get your girlfriend out, right?"

The brunette grimaced at the tone of her friend's voice but continued into the building, leading her boss into the BAU bullpen before making a sharp left to grab a file off of her desk.

"Emily?"

Turning her head, Emily did her best to give a smile to her ex. "I'll be back later, ok Jay?"

JJ watched as the older woman walked back out of the bullpen and down the hall, and she quietly sat back down.

Emily made her way through the hall and down toward the interrogation rooms. She had been off work since the moment she was let out of prison, her parents and lawyers doing their best to talk to the bureau and get her back to work. For now, she was kept at home going over all the information she already had checked over a million times, and she would do it ten times a day every day until something new came along.

She opened the door and sat herself down across from the Mexican man, her eyes on him - not too hard to get too intense too quickly but not too soft as to have him underestimate her - and her fingers flipping open the case file. "Fahri."

The man with the mustache looked dully to the brunette across from him.

"No last name?"

"Don't need one," he grumbled. It wasn't that he was afraid or upset that he was caught, but he had been in the middle of one of the biggest deals of his life, and now all of his workers were probably running for the hills.

Emily pursed her lips, nodding her head as she flipped through each page. "Can I ask why you're not back in New York? Seems like that's where most of your business takes place."

Fahri gave a small laugh. "I like to travel."

"To Virginia?" She grinned, leaning back in her chair and looking over to the only other person in the room. "What about out of the country? England? The Caribbean?"

He shook his head.

Emily looked back down to the file she held and let her jaw drop. "Oh that's right," she mused, her voice lowering as her fingers traced along the words typed on the crisp page. "You can't go there anymore, can you?" Looking back up to the Mexican man, she frowned. "Got caught there too, didn't you?"

"Why am I here?" Fahri raised his brow at the brunette woman. "Why'd I get transferred from state to this shit hole? Got something special planned for me?"

The FBI agent smiled, closing the case file. "I have information on one of your former carriers."

"Really? Which one? Are they dead or locked up?"

Emily kept her eyes on the younger man and crossed her legs beneath the metal table. "Locked up. Alex Vause."

Fahri just smiled.

"Tell me about her. How helpful was she to you?" Finally leaning forward, her elbows on the table, Emily set her chin atop her clasped hands. "How good of a drug mule was she?" She knew the answer to that question obviously, she and Alex had shared every secret they had ever had, but she needed to get inside his mind.

That's what she did.

Fahri frowned at the brunette agent. "And why are you asking about her?" Tilting his head, the Mexican man with an obviously fresh tattoo on the side of his neck shrugged his shoulders. "She's not my problem anymore."

"Well I know that's not true. Once a part of a drug cartel, always a part of a drug cartel."

He chuckled. "She was pretty good. That is, until she got caught."

Emily pursed her lips, folding her arms on the table. "She was stupid enough to get caught?"

"Most are."

The FBI agent huffed. "Well that sure shows what a shit drug lord you are," she smiled, tilting her head just as the man had. "Exactly twenty-two of your former mules have been caught by the police while another eleven have been murdered, all shot in the head. That seems kind of odd, doesn't it?"

Fahri kept his eyes on the older woman across from him. "Does it?"

"I think so," Emily nodded. "And you know what's even stranger? Those who were to come out against you, four witnesses back in 2011, all dead; drown in a hotel pool and thrown down the garbage shoot."

Fahri nodded along with the brunette woman. "That's a real shame."

"Isn't it? But what's most surprising to me is that you were put in jail only two years ago and then let out. Something to do with one of the officers?"

"Sweet lady," he laughed. "Sucks she's dead now."

Emily grimaced. "Yeah. Sucks."

"So what am I doing here?" Grinning to the older woman, Fahri shrugged his shoulders. "Does it have something to do with your own problem? Do you need a fix?"

Emily did her best to hide her shiver with another smile. "No thank you. What you can do for me though is testify on behalf of your old mule Alex Vause."

"Testify for her? As in get her out of prison?"

"Did I stutter?" The FBI agent flipped the case file back open and spun it around for the felon to see. "You are to go on trial for all of these murders and your extensive history of drug dealing and petty theft. I'm sure that with all of these crimes, you'll have at least two life sentences or worse."

Fahri didn't flinch.

Flicking the tip of her tongue over the corner of her mouth, Emily shrugged. "With you giving a testimony for the release of Alex Vause, I can get you out of the electric chair. How does that sound?"


	21. Chapter 21

Emily slammed her thumb down on her phone and ended the call, shaking her head as she slipped it back in her pocket. Her mother was one thing, but angry prison inmates were another.

"Darling?"

Her eyes shooting up from the floor at the familiar voice, Emily opened her mouth to reply.

"Are you ready?"

She snapped her lips shut, her hands in her slack's pockets as she silently nodded her head.

A hand to his daughter's shoulder, Joseph Prentiss gave a smile. He hadn't been the best father through the years, he knew that, but this was the move to make it right.

Alex's appeal day.

"What if it doesn't work?" she whispered, not moving from her spot in the hallway. "What if this is all for nothing?"

Joseph let his two meaty hands cup his daughter's cheeks, his thumbs brushing away the tears that marred her worried features. 'We're here, aren't we? That's a start in the right direction."

Emily's chin trembled at the fear washing over her, and she quickly threw herself into her father's arms. "If I break down, you'll hold me right?"

The sadness he heard in his daughter's voice made the diplomat's heart break. "Of course, baby," he whispered back, pulling away from his only child and straitening the lapels of her suit jacket. "Now come on. Let's get in there and support your girl."

The FBI agent, finally reinstated to her position as one of the BAU's head profilers, straightened her shoulders and led her father into the court room. She made her way to the first row, her friends, coworkers and father all finding themselves just behind her so she'd have room to breathe.

This was the most important day of her life.

Her head spinning at the sound of a door unlocking, Emily's eyes caught sight of the love of her life being led into the court room in handcuffs, changed from her usual tan jumpsuit to a bright orange and her glasses sliding down her nose as she was practically carried by the security guards.

"All rise."

Emily gripped the wood barrier before her to help her stand on her shaking legs, tears springing into her eyes when Alex turned her head to look back at those sitting in the rows behind her. "I love you," she mouthed quietly, watching as her ex chanced a gentle nod back to her before looking back to the judge.

"You may be seated."

Judge Scahrp settled his hard eyes on the convicted drug dealer in her orange prison suit. "Alex Vause?"

She stood once more, her lawyer by her side.

"You are here to appeal your conviction of ten years on the charges of running an international drug ring."

"Not running, your honor," her lawyer corrected. "Being manipulated into taking part in a drug ring, yes."

The judge gave a stiff nod of the head. "This is your first appeal?"

Alex massaged her wrists, the cuffs finally taken off by one of the guards. "Yes, your honor."

"Alright. You may be seated."

Emily held her breath as they brought witness after witness to testify on Alex's behalf, her stomach churning as members from the drug ring gave her a good word for their own benefit, no jail time. But no Fahri.

Two days before the court date, the one that had taken a good four months to set up after the BAU had finally talked him into testifying, he was shanked in his prison cell and died from blood loss. He was supposed to be the selling ticket of Alex's entire case.

"The defense calls Supervisory Special Agent Emily Prentiss."

Tilting her chin up at the sound of her name, Emily stood from her spot in the front row and made her way to the witness stand.

"Do you solemnly swear that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"I do," she said strongly, sitting herself down and placing her hands flat on her thighs.

Alex's attorney stood from his seat beside his client and made his way around the table. "Agent Prentiss, years ago you had a relationship with Alex Vause, did you not?"

Emily nodded her head. "I did."

"Can you tell me the nature of this relationship?"

"We were dating," the agent said softly, making sure her eyes never casted toward her ex. "We were going to be married."

"And at this time, Alex Vause was in the midst of selling large packages of drugs."

Emily bit her lip. "I believe so, yes."

Her attorney narrowed his eyes on the witness. "You believe so?"

"Alex told me she had quit a few months before our break up, but I learned that she was keeping a secret from me. She was still selling drugs, but she had told me she tried her best to get herself out of it."

"Can you explain further, Agent Prentiss?"

The brunette woman took a silent breath, her hands clasped on her lap as she looked to the younger man before her. "Once you're a part of a drug ring, no matter how hard you try to get out, you will always be a part of it. I know that from my work."

"And you can testify that Alex Vause was not a willing participant?"

Emily immediately nodded her head. "Selling drugs was something that tore Alex apart each day. I saw the pain and terror she went through when she was afraid she'd made a mistake and would have to answer to her boss."

The attorney pointed the pen in his hand to Emily. "Who is now dead, correct?"

"Yes sir." Swiping a misplaced hair out of her eyes, Emily nodded to the lawyer. "I guess he had a lot of enemies. You would in that line of work."

Alex's attorney looked to the judge. "No more questions, your honor."

Standing from his seat across the room, the prosecuting lawyer, Lange was his name, straightened his tie. "Agent Prentiss, it's been said that you and Alex Vause were in a relationship. You just admitted to that, correct?"

Emily fiddled with her thumbs in her lap. "Correct."

"And you were recently imprisoned in the same jail as Alex Vause, weren't you?"

Emily could feel the intense gaze of the prosecutor burning right through her. "I was," she said softly. "I was recently released."

"On what grounds?"

"I was falsely accused of murdering to men. It was self defense, but the jury saw it as murder one."

"And all of a sudden you were let out?"

Emily frowned at the question. "The ruling was overturned."

Lange gave a twitch of the lips before taking a step toward the witness box. "Now during your time at Litchfield Correctional, you must have seen Alex Vause around. Am I right?"

"Of course."

"And can I take it that, after all these years apart, you have rekindled your relationship?"

Emily's jaw dropped.

Alex's attorney stood up, his hands slamming down on the table. "Objection! Personal questions have nothing to do with what is being testified here, judge."

The judge nodded. "Lange, move on."

"I apologize," he smiled to the judge before turning back to the woman on the witness stand. "Agent Prentiss, can I ask you a question?"

She refrained from snapping at the prosecutor. That was his job, wasn't it?

"What is the point of this trial today?"

Emily felt her brow furrowing. "To prove to the court that Alex is innocent," she stated slowly, her jaw clicking as she felt the room grow stiff. "What else would we be here for?"

"Agent Prentiss, do you believe Alex Vause is innocent?"

"Of?"

Lange shrugged. "We all know that Alex Vause, who has admitted it herself, bought and sold bundles of drugs to not only others in this country but overseas. Do you believe that she willingly did these illegal acts for years on end or was coerced into it?" When he saw her blink dumbly back at him, the prosecutor hardened his eyes. "Remember agent, you're under oath."

Gulping and not sure if the rest of the room could hear her heart beating as wildly as she could, Emily finally looked over to the nervous felon sitting in her jumpsuit, eyes pleading with her to get her out of prison once and for all.

"Agent Prentiss?"

Emily looked back to the prosecutor and folded her hands on the small wooden plank she found in front of her.

 _Deep breaths_ , she reminded herself, once again flicking a hair out of her face before opening her mouth once more.


	22. Chapter 22

Stirring the soup her friend had thrown together, Nicky tightened her grip on the spoon. "This is the third time we've had this slop this week, Red."

The Russian ignored the words of the younger woman.

"Come on Red. It's almost Christmas. Are we going to get any real food in this place?"

Looking up from the potatoes she had been mashing, Red took the masher in her hand and lifted it in the air. "Let us switch."

Nicky's jaw dropped. "Are you listening to me at all?"

The older woman shoved the masher into Nicky's hands before taking her spot before the soup pot. "You are upset. I'm not taking what you say personally." She pointed to the addict with the spoon she stirred the soup with. "I always listen to you, Nicky."

Rolling her eyes, the inmate with curly blond hair shook her head.

"Look sweetie, I know you are upset Alex is gone. We all are. But it's better for her to be out of here, no?"

Nicky sighed.

It had been a few weeks since the drug dealer had been let out. Her sentence had immediately been overturned after her appeal, and now she lived with Emily back in Virginia.

"Nicky? Did I lose you?"

Looking up from the potatoes she was angrily mashing in their bowl, Nicky blew out a breath. "I just miss my friends."

Red smiled to the younger woman.

"They called me a few times but it's not the same as seeing them. And that new Chapman chick is in my bunk and I don't know if I like her or not."

The Russian cook shook her head at the negativity she heard in the younger inmate's voice. "Give her a chance, Nicky. You never know."

Before she could reply, she heard her name announced over the loudspeaker.

She had a visitor?

"Well? Get going."

Nicky set down the utensil and passed the smirking chef to exit the kitchen. She frowned and quickly ran her fingers through her frizzy hair. She hadn't had a visitor since her mother a year ago, and after the inmate had thrown the fact that her mother never cared about her nor her health in the rich woman's face, she hadn't received any more visits or calls.

Walking in to the visitor's room, the addict's eyes popped open.

"Are you going to stand there all day or come give me a hug?" the FBI agent laughed, holding her arms open and hugging the younger woman tight against her when she crossed the room.

"No touching."

Emily laughed into Nicky's lion's mane and gave the officer the finger. "Not now Ronnie, we're having a moment."

Pulling back, the blond looked to the tattooed woman standing next to the agent. "Hey."

"Hey," she grinned, hugging her friend just as Emily had.

"I said no touching."

"Fuck off, Ron!" Nicky shouted.

Emily took Alex's hand and sat her down beside her. "How are you?" she asked her friend softly, holding Alex's hand on the table they sat at. From all those months of being restrained and barely able to touch the younger woman, she grabbed at her every moment she could.

Nicky laughed, shrugging her shoulders as she got herself comfortable. "Fine. What's going on with you?"

"We're back in Virginia," the agent nodded. "Alex has a new job."

"Four eyes, you selling again?"

Alex kicked the younger woman under the table, looking around at the officers standing guard in the room. "Not funny," she hissed.

The eldest at the table kept herself from smiling at the joke, knowing how her girlfriend would take it, and she shook her head. "She got a job at a restaurant," the agent grinned, proud that the woman she loved was on the right track. If they wanted a life together, they had to do it right.

"You cookin', Vause?"

Alex gave a roll of the eyes. "And burn down the place?" she laughed. "Yeah right. I'm the hostess."

Nicky's lips pursed, her eyes moving to the other brunette across from her. "You still in therapy?"

The agent tried to hide her grimace. "I am. Aggressive therapy," the ambassador's daughter nodded. "But it's good for me. It's helping." Squeezing her girlfriend's hand, Emily let her lean in to kiss her cheek.

Watching the pair across from her, the inmate let her eyes squint. "What's with all the lovey dovey shit?"

"We're no different from normal," the agent snorted. "But we actually wanted to let you know something." Sitting straighter in her chair and feeling the pressure of her girlfriend's hands on hers, Emily smiled. "We're getting married."

Nicky grinned at the two who shared a quick smile. "Congrats, princess!"

"We came to invite you to the wedding."

Feeling a sense of guilt fall over her, the drug addict shifted in her seat. "Thanks, but I doubt I'll be out in time to see you two get hitched."

Alex felt her fiancé elbow her in the gut, and she quickly sat herself up. "That's why we came," she nodded, feeling the FBI agent's eyes on her. "Our wedding date is set for February twenty-fourth, 2017."

Nicky's eyes almost shot out of her head. "You fucking kidding me?" The weekend after she was to be released.

"We want you there," the other brunette encouraged, smiling wide to the friend she had made behind bars. "We'd want everyone here to be able to be there but we know that's not realistic. The one that really matters is you." Looking around, Emily grimaced. "Don't tell Red I said that."

The addict laughed, her elbows on the table as she leaned forward. "Thanks princess. That means a lot."

Hardening her eyes on the younger woman, Emily pointed an accusing finger at her. "But you can't have sex with any of the bridesmaids."

Nicky held up her hands in surrender.

"And if you need a place to stay when you get out," Alex intervened, using the polite tone her fiancé had helped her practice for hours beforehand, "we'd like for you to stay with us."

"You don't have to do that."

Emily shook her head. "We want you to." Frowning, she glared at the younger woman when a smile crossed over her face. "No sex there either."

Nicky huffed. "You're really putting me out here, Prentiss."

The agent smiled, leaning into the woman by her side as they continued to talk and letting her play with the ends of her growing hair. They had worked on it for years, but now she and Alex were finally getting to live the lives they wanted. It was hard, but they were meant to be.

An agent and a dealer.


End file.
